Two weeks of the NPC and Farah Palmer Cup have been confirmed.
The schedule beyond the next two rounds remains up in the air pending the lowering of alert levels in Auckland.
Both domestic competitions — the NPC having completed just two rounds and the Farah Palmer Cup five — will resume this weekend.
Otago (scheduled to play Counties-Manukau) and Southland (v Auckland) are both unable to play their respective NPC opposition.
However, the Otago Spirit will return to the field to play Bay of Plenty in Mt Maunganui on Saturday.
The Otago men will also be sidelined the following weekend, as they were scheduled to play North Harbour, but the Spirit will have a big game at Forsyth Barr Stadium against Canterbury.
As the Farah Palmer Cup has just two rounds to play, the games involving Auckland teams have been scrapped, rather than postponed, and points shared by affected teams.
New Zealand Rugby community manager Steve Lancaster was pleased to have two rounds of the competitions confirmed and hopeful the Auckland-based teams could rejoin the NPC in the coming weeks.
“We are reviewing the impact of the latest Government announcements and working through a number of options to ensure they can continue to safely play a part in both competitions,’’ Lancaster said.
‘‘The provincial unions have shown their commitment and support for the competitions, and especially Auckland, Counties-Manukau and North Harbour, who have been accommodating and understanding in these uncertain times.’’
The Heartland Championship, which has no teams in the Auckland region, has a full schedule beginning on Saturday, with North Otago at home to East Coast.
