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Brumbies boss calls for 'common sense' over Covid-19 protocols

(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Brumbies head coach Dan McKellar has called for “common sense” over Covid-19 protocols that his side are set to face during the upcoming Super Rugby Pacific campaign.

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The Canberra-based franchise will kick their new season off against the Western Force in Perth on February 19, with their preparations continuing despite a new surge of Covid-19 cases that has swept the country.

Australia registered more than 66,000 new cases of the Omicron variant on Tuesday, taking the nation’s collective total of cases past the 1 million mark, half of which were recorded in the past week alone.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week urged the country to forge ahead and learn to live with the virus, a sentiment McKellar agreed with while running over the Covid-19 protocols placed on his side for the season ahead on Tuesday.

“There’s protocols that are in place. Sitting indoors at restaurants or bars is something that we can’t do at the moment. We’re not in a bubble as such. I think it’s unhealthy,” he said.

“We’ve experienced a number of lockdowns and trying to cage up young men and women and expect them to sit in their house and just go to work. We talk about mental health, well I don’t think that’s healthy at all, so we’ve got to let them live their lives.

“We’ve got to approach it with common sense and do the right thing, and if you do present with symptoms when you wake up from one day to the next, then stay at home and let our doctor know and we’ll deal with it from there.”

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McKellar reserved praise for his side’s medical staff, who he said have been “superb” in dealing with the threats posed to his players and colleagues in the midst of the pandemic.

He added that the teams that deal with the challenges presented by Covid-19 throughout the course of the season, which he labelled as the toughest since the outbreak of the virus, will have the best chance of attaining success in Super Rugby Pacific.

“We know that we’re going to face challenges and we’re going to have to adapt,” McKellar said.

“I really believe that teams that handle disruption best, because disruption will come, the teams that handle it best and just get on with what’s important will benefit from that early on.

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“It’s a tough one, isn’t it? I think we’re trying to learn to live with it. How quickly do we get to the next level?

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“At some point in time, you’d envisage that we’ve just got to crack on with life and take responsibility for your own health and your own actions.

“The tricky part is that this virus tends to impact different people in different ways. Some people won’t have any symptoms, other people will be bed-ridden in ICU for a number of days, so it’s difficult and I feel for all involved [in the Covid-19 decision-making process].

“Thankfully I don’t need to make those decisions. I just go off the direction that’s provided to us and we do the right thing in making sure that, as an organisation, we’re keeping our players and our families and our community healthy.”

The inaugural edition of Super Rugby Pacific kicks-off on February 18 when expansions franchise Moana Pasifika host the Blues in a cross-town derby at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.

With travel between New Zealand and Australia closed off, teams will begin the season by playing other sides from their own country before ending the round-robin with cross-border fixtures.

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R
RedWarrior 1 hour ago
Three-way race to be number one in World Rugby men's rankings

IF SA and NZ win then its 1,2,3 SA/NZ/IRL Otherwise as you were. This is largely irrelevant beyond bragging rights.


As I have pointed out elsewhere the practical use of the Rankings is to determine the seedings bands for the RWC draw. The draw takes place early 2026 and hopefully the rankings will be taken from then.


Important to be in the top 6, the top 12. (and likely the top 4).

This is because there are now 6 groups in the RWC 2027.

If you are in top 6 you are in Seeding Band 1. That means none of the other top 6 will be in your group.

Seeding Band 2 are teams from 7-12, who will have a top 6 team but no other 7-12 team.

After England's defeat by NZ there is clear water between NZ in 3rd, France in 4th and England in 5th. England are desperate for top4, ill come back and explain why later.

Lets look at Seeding Band 1 and 6th place. If you make 6th, no top 6 team is in your group, you are top dog. If you win your group, you won't be facing a top 6 team in your 1/8th final, you will be facing a weaker team. If you fail to make 6th place you WILL have a top 6 team in your group and if you don't win your group you WILL (probably) meet a top 6 in the 1/8 final. That's massive.


Its Argentina holding 6th now. Assuming England hold 5th, then its a 4 horse race for 6th. Argentina, Scotland, Italy and ...Australia. (ranked 6,7,8,9)

Australia play the Lions in NH summer 2025 they are running out of time to get up to 6th for their own RWC. They MUST make a move now. They must beat Wales and they really must beat Scotland to gain points and take points off them. Could they surprise England or Ireland? England may be the better bet but Schmidt knows Ireland so well having masterminded their downfall in France.

Another one to watch is Italy V Argentina. Italy are ambitious and they will want to start pushing the likes of Argentina. If they win this they are still in the hunt. Well worth a watch either way.


Top4: I think the top 6 will be seeded, all the way through from the draw. If thats the case then the top 4 will be seeded to avoid each other until the semi. Good for more certainty around ticket sales etc. That's a possible reason why England want in there. You're not in there you are hitting a top 4 team in a QF. That's an extra 50:50 match you can do without and avoid by being top 4.


Lets look at what Seeding bands might look like with todays rankings:


Seeding Band 1

IRE/SA/NZ/FRA/ENG/ARG

Seeding Band 2

SCO/ITA/AUS/FIJ/WAL/GEO


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: FIJI

1/8 final opponent GEORGIA

Prognosis: advance to 1/4 and potentially beyond


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if NOT in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: SOUTH AFRICA

1/8 final opponent NEW ZEALAND

Prognosis: You know the prognosis


I am pretty sure this is not lost on Joe Schmidt?


Keep in mind when enjoying the matches.

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