No plans to delay N. Otago club season

Colin Jackson
Colin Jackson
Hopefully, former Highlanders utility back Matt Faddes will have more impact on North Otago club rugby than Covid-19 this season.

Faddes is registered with Kurow, where he has a farm, and is expected to turn out for the club this season as it seeks to successfully defend the Citizens Shield.

The Covid-19 outbreak in Dunedin has forced administrators to shut down club rugby in the city.

The Council of Rugby Clubs will meet again on Monday to discuss whether it should push the start of the Dunedin club season back by a month.

North Otago Rugby Football Union chief executive Colin Jackson said there were no plans to delay the club season in North Otago as yet.

"We are just monitoring the situation weekly ... but at this stage we are still looking at a start on April 2," Jackson said.

"But, yeah, it is pretty fluid times. Things are changing daily, so we are just sitting back a little bit. We’ll make a call as we get closer to that start date."

Jackson said there was plenty of wriggle room in the playing window if the start of the club season did have to be delayed.

"We don’t face the same issues as Dunedin does. We don’t have a university here but there is nothing surer — Covid is going to be right through the country."

Country rugby is also in a wait-and-see mode. Its season is due to start on March 26.

Otago Country Rugby Board chairman Willis Paterson said the Central and Southern rugby councils would meet on Monday to discuss the situation.

"Like everyone we are just waiting to see what happens with the outbreak," Paterson said.

"I think there is probably a reasonably good chance of a delayed start, but it depends how Covid goes through the community."

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