Ensuring games can proceed as planned and player management are among the key priorities for Super Rugby franchises, as they prepare for a season hampered by the onset of the Omicron variant.
New Zealand has reverted to 'red’ status in the COVID-19 traffic light system, and rugby is one of several sports assessing its impact and how it'll best manage the start of the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific competition on February 18.
NZ Rugby has contingency plans in place for the competition, the most obvious being a reduction in crowd numbers.
Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge accepts limited fan access is inevitable and his primary concern is having enough players to ensure games are able to go ahead.
"I think the key thing is how are we going to manage [player] availability into the competition," says Mansbridge.
"How do we suppress the virus from getting into our environments, and then make sure we have as many fit and healthy athletes as possible to play games."
The Crusaders have already relocated their pre-season fixture against the Hurricanes from Blenheim to Christchurch to make management easier under the new COVID-19 guidelines.
Minister for Sport and Recreation Grant Robertson says the limit on 100 people at events could potentially be expanded and see smaller "pods" of up to 100 people congregating within the same event.
Mansbridge has been trying to gather as much information as possible on how sports in other countries are dealing with Omicron, conceding all teams will be braced for a financial blow.
"We've been talking to clubs in the Northern Hemisphere, our colleagues in Australia and other codes about managing your environment to make sure you are in the best possible position to compete as well as you possibly can when the time comes," he adds.
"There are certain positions in rugby where you need to have plenty of depth in your roster come gameday, so that could be the biggest challenge for us.
"Financially, we all realise we're going to be a bit bruised this year."
The Government is expected to confirm protocols for close contacts on Wednesday and Mansbridge says they will provide much more clarity on how teams proceed.
