Where to for Super Rugby?

[KOB1987]

You'd have thought they'd planned for this when they announced the comp?

They did, that was the contingency plan. You’d think that Jacnda would make pro sporting teams exempt from quarantine by then.

 

[Adam84]

Copied from NZ Domestic Rugby 2021 thread. Article is pay-walled online but was in today's actual newspaper:

NZHurld reporting that if the Trans-Tasman travel bubble isn't open in time for a SRT-T then SRAo will be extended to a third round.

Playing TT in Aus isn't considered viable as players would have to quarantine for 14 days on return to NZ & those who go on to make AB would have to do another 14 days upon returning from TRC and/ or Bledisloe match(es) later in the year, this is seen as too onerous on the players.

A decision will need to be made soon, all MIQ places are fully booked until June.

I don’t see why the players couldn’t just enter a ‘bio-bubble’ for the duration of the tournament with free travel between Aus & NZ with a soft quarantine at their home locations

 

[Adam84]

They did, that was the contingency plan. You’d think that Jacnda would make pro sporting teams exempt from quarantine by then.

If the tournament is played under strict bio control there should be flexibility in this

 

[dru]

If the tournament is played under strict bio control there should be flexibility in this

I don't see politicians allowing such flexibility. Not with the new highly contagious mutants around. Maybe things change with vaccination but I doubt this is going to be easy.

 

[Dan54]

They did, that was the contingency plan. You’d think that Jacnda would make pro sporting teams exempt from quarantine by then.

Think it more than Jacinda making rules, with outbreaks even Aussie changing rules by the day, I hope noone makes sporting teams exempt, everyone can carry it.

 

[Derpus]

I'm hoping everyone is vaccinated and that facilitates a bubble.

If vaccination isn't sufficient i don't really know what our end game is.....

 

[Adam84]

I'm hoping everyone is vaccinated and that facilitates a bubble.

If vaccination isn't sufficient i don't really know what our end game is...

Yeah vaccination and a bio-bubble. If that isn’t good enough then we might as well give up on any kind of interactional travel

 

[Sully]

Would be interesting to see how many players would get vaccinated?

 

[Adam84]

Would be interesting to see how many players would get vaccinated?

flu vaccinations were made available to all players last season and no players refused, if a player has a personal issue with a vaccination that's their right, but it certainly compromises their ability to hold a job which has a heavy international travel schedule.

 

[dru]

flu vaccinations were made available to all players last season and no players refused, if a player has a personal issue with a vaccination that's their right, but it certainly compromises their ability to hold a job which has a heavy international travel schedule.

That isn't the issue, at least in Rugby. There is a process to go through running months. I wouldn't think 20 - 30 year olds that are not otherwise a risk category will be anywhere but near the end of that process.

 

[KOB1987]

Think it more than Jacinda making rules, with outbreaks even Aussie changing rules by the day, I hope noone makes sporting teams exempt, everyone can carry it.

I didn’t really explain what I meant very well. As alluded to above I was working on the assumption that said pro sports people are playing/living in a bio security bubble. The protocols we have seen for sports people - rugby, loig, horse racing etc - are far superior to being locked in a hotel room for 2 weeks.

 

[Adam84]

That isn't the issue, at least in Rugby. There is a process to go through running months. I wouldn't think 20 - 30 year olds that are not otherwise a risk category will be anywhere but near the end of that process.

No not in Phase 1a which are the most at risk category, but I can see then sitting in the 1b roll-out, that's what they're pushing for the Olympians as well. I'm not entirely up to date with the roll-out plan and whether its on schedule, but last I read they're aiming for around 4 million Australians vaccinated by end of April, which is all of 1a and half of 1b. TT begins mid May.

 

[KOB1987]

Would be interesting to see how many players would get vaccinated?

all of them I would hope, if they want a job

 

[Rebels3]

I’m not sure if many people realise that been vaccinated doesn’t mean you can’t get the virus, it just means you are unlikely to get the symptoms. That’s why players even if they were vaccinated would still have to quarantine from the community upon return. I personally don’t think the media has done a good job on educating people on this. Players would have to do a biosecurity bubble if they had been vaccinated or not.

 

[Derpus]

I’m not sure if many people realise that been vaccinated doesn’t mean you can’t get the virus, it just means you are unlikely to get the symptoms. That’s why players even if they were vaccinated would still have to quarantine from the community upon return. I personally don’t think the media has done a good job on educating people on this. Players would have to do a biosecurity bubble if they had been vaccinated or not.

Yeah but if everyone is vaccinated it's all good.

 

[Dan54]

I didn’t really explain what I meant very well. As alluded to above I was working on the assumption that said pro sports people are playing/living in a bio security bubble. The protocols we have seen for sports people - rugby, loig, horse racing etc - are far superior to being locked in a hotel room for 2 weeks.

Yep mate, but I think we have just seen today why it probably won't go ahead. because there has been a couple of cases the border has been closed again , why I believe a bubble won't happen. You can't really make too many plans if the rules are going to change overnight.
And the bio security bubble is still in one country or state isn't it? I mean by that even living in a bubble, you still can't go between Qld and Vic etc, so would never be able to go between NZ and Aus.

 

[Braveheart81]

I feel like we're going to have enough issues playing Super Rugby AU. I think it will go ahead but it looks like it might be hard for the Western Force and Melbourne Rebels to play home games at least early in the season.

Given NZ wouldn't make exceptions for the All Blacks last year it seems unlikely a broader bubble situation will be allowed for 5 NZ/Aussie teams.

Hopefully in the next couple of months the situation will settle down and maybe some options to proceed will appear.

 

[Rebels3]

The AFL and NRL had selected state government permission to fly in and fly out for games, this eventually included WA as well but SRAU was finished by this stage. The issue will be in players can show they remained in a bubble for 14 days prior to flying in and out, currently there is no bubble in Super Rugby (hence the Rebels having to travel to ACT for trial). The biggest threat might be no crowds. There is also provisions in the fixture list if needed, the Rebels first home game is potentially been looked at and swapped with the return fixture later in the season, so the Brums will host the fixture instead of the Rebels

 

[KevinO]

At this stage, I think they really need to consider basing all Aussie teams in one place, Townsville like the WNBL did. Vic is not the only state to do a 5 day lock down in the last 2 months and we are in the middle of Summer. Autumn and Winter are just going to get worse.

 

[Braveheart81]

They should certainly be preparing that it might be required and make some plans so it could be implemented but at this stage I'd certainly be playing home games with crowds everywhere that allows it.

Victoria and WA are the main worries.

Queensland has had lots of ridiculous border closures but have been very open to sporting bubbles like last season so you could expect that teams could still fly in and out to play games there.