After it was revealed earlier in the week that a number of players were considered to be close contacts to cases in Auckland, positive tests have been returned.
New Zealand Rugby have confirmed seven players in the Moana Pasifika squad have tested positive for the virus. Their pre-season clash against the Highlanders on Saturday night has been cancelled and the season opening match against the Blues postponed.
Moana Pasifika chief executive Pelenato Sakalia said yesterday while rapid antigen test results were negative, the team's PCR testing had been diverted to Dunedin and therefore delayed due to resources being committed to assessing the Queenstown outbreak.
All members of the other five New Zealand-based Super Rugby Pacific squads have tested negative for Covid-19 and will continue preparations for the start of the season, including pre-season fixtures in Queenstown this weekend.
The Highlanders will now play in a game of three halves against the Blues and the Chiefs on Saturday afternoon in their final pre-season outing, the Chiefs confirmed on Friday night, indicating those three squads remained Covid-free after the Blues' scare earlier this week and the Chiefs having played against Moana Pasifika in preseason last week.
The Super Rugby Pacific Competitions Committee confirmed further work was to be done between NZR, alongside joint venture partner Rugby Australia, Sanzaar and broadcast partners Sky to explore options to play the postponed match, and will update teams, fans and media in due course.
"Our thoughts are with the players who have tested positive, and our focus is on ensuring the have the full support of NZR as they deal with their situation," said NZR general manager of professional rugby Chris Lendrum.
"We also share the disappointment of the Moana Pasifika players, coaches, staff and fans. We know how hard they have worked and how eager they are to get out on the field.
"However, we also remain confident Moana Pasifika can get through this period of isolation and join the Super Rugby Pacific season and will be doing everything we can to support them over the coming weeks."
Lendrum said yesterday that one positive case may require next week's opening match to be postponed or cancelled.
"That was the risk we identified when we went to Queenstown that one positive case could knock out an entire team," Lendrum said. "It is circumstantially dependent, however. We're not the authorities that determine that.
"We need the Southern DHB to come in and work through the process to define who are the close contacts in each case. That will then tell us how impacted this team is; who can get back to training when, and the impacts for round one of the competition in particular."
The Highlanders abruptly called off a press conference this afternoon where the game was due to be discussed and Stuff was reporting the game had been cancelled.
It was earlier reported Moana Pasifika and Blues teams had been forced into isolation in their team hotels in Queenstown.
Both squads had a member of their teams identified as having potentially been exposed to Covid-19, and with the opening match of the competition – set to be played between the two teams – nine days away, it could be derailed if the squads have to observe an isolation period of 10 days.
A member of the Blues squad in Queenstown was identified as a possible close contact on Wednesday night, and he and his roommate have been separated from the rest of the team, with the team doctor conducting a PCR test to supplement the twice-weekly Rapid Antigen Tests all teams are receiving.
While Moana Pasifika's close contact was a member of the wider group and not in the Queenstown bubble with the clubs from around the country, the team were observing the protocols and quarantining while they await the results of the player's Covid test.
Earlier this month it was announced the six New Zealand-based Super Rugby Pacific squads would move into a bubble in Queenstown for the opening rounds of the competition.
This was to mitigate the threat of Covid-19 infiltrating the competition and sidelining any of the teams.
While initially plans had teams being bussed to Invercargill for night matches, New Zealand Rugby and the franchises have since decided Dunedin would be a better venue.
That was primarily due to the facilities at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
- additional reporting ODT
