The start of the inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki season has been delayed, after members of the Blues team contracted COVID-19.
The competition was scheduled to begin on Saturday, with a doubleheader featuring the Blues and Chiefs Manawa, followed by Matatū against Hurricanes Poua at Taupō’s Owen Delany Park.
All teams have players in isolation, but the Blues won't have enough to field a team this weekend, after several tested positive or were deemed close contacts.
As a result, the competition, which has already been condensed due to the Omicron spread, will be pushed back at least a week.
NZ Rugby has confirmed the Blues will be sidelined this weekend, with three remaining teams contesting a 'game of three halves' as part of their build-up.
The competition will be run over the remaining three matchdays - March 10, 15 & 20 - condensed to a straight round-robin format with no Grand Final. The winners will be decided by competition points.
"Clubs are currently managing and mitigating the exposure to COVID-19 in their teams, and will relocate to their Taupō bubbles this week as planned," says NZ Rugby professional rugby general manager Chris Lendrum.
"Our hope is that by delaying the start of the competition for an extra few days, we'll see players able to return into the environment, after recovering from COVID-19, and Sky Super Rugby Aupiki will play out in the bubble.
"This delay and tweak to format gives us the best opportunity to see our teams and players compete in what is a crucial competition for women's rugby in New Zealand."
Last month, NZ Rugby moved the four teams into a Taupō bubble - similar to the set-up used by Super Rugby Pacific teams in Queenstown - to mitigate any risk of the virus disrupting the schedule.
The squads have operated in separate bubbles with exclusive use of training facilities in the Taupō area.
Teams are staying across four hotels and will utilise the same COVID-19 protocols currently implemented for Super Rugby Pacific. Players will remain in their team bubbles at all times and be subject to regular rapid antigen tests.
"We are 100 percent committed to seeing this competition go ahead and under the current COVID-19 regulations, this is the best option to see that happen," Lendrum said last month.
"We appreciate the commitment that is required from our players and management staff to relocate for this period of time, and are working closely with the clubs to work through this process."
