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'It's coming': Blues coach's stark Covid-19 warning for Super Rugby Pacific

Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz

Blues head coach Leon MacDonald has issued a blunt warning to his side, and Super Rugby Pacific as a whole, as the ever-present threat of Covid-19 continues to loom large.

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The new, revamped version of Super Rugby is due to kick-off in just under a month’s time, but, for the third season running, the competition continues to feel the wrath of the global pandemic.

The league’s two new expansion sides, Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua, have already been impacted by the virus, with the Drua set to be based out of Australia in their debut campaign, with only one fixture scheduled to be played in Fiji.

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Uncertainty over international travel has also led to Moana Pasifika establishing their home base at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium, rather than Samoa or Tonga, until 2028.

Likewise, travel restrictions between New Zealand and Australia forced the Super Rugby Pacific draw to be revised late last year, effectively resulting in a continuation of Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU in the first half of the campaign.

The 12 sides will then cross borders to square off against their foreign counterparts in the final six rounds of the regular season, as they did for Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, although how that unfolds is dependant on the border situation between New Zealand and Australia.

Considering Australia’s enormous surge in Covid cases due to the outbreak of the Omicron variant in recent weeks, it very much remains to be seen whether travel restrictions across the Tasman will be eased by the business end of the season.

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The highly-transmissible nature of the Omicron variant also poses risks for teams competing in Super Rugby Pacific, as it has done for sides from other professional sporting competitions – such as the NRL and A-League – throughout Australia.

After having successfully navigated the past two Covid-impacted seasons, MacDonald is acutely aware of the potential damage the Omicron variant could cause the Blues, and Super Rugby Pacific in general, as he explained to media on Tuesday.

“We’re positively negative at the moment, but I don’t know how long that’s going to last in the environment, and we’re ready for that,” MacDonald said as he conceded that players of his own will inevitably be struck down by the virus at some stage this year.

“We’ve got lots of plans in place, and, again, two years on, we’re still talking about the same hiccups and road bumps are going to be ahead of us.

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“We are [under strict protocols] because, once it gets into teams, it rips teams to pieces, really. We’re going to have a lot of guys at home this year, so we need to prepare for that.

“The depth of our squad is going to get tested. Individuals have got to take a lot of care to try and keep themselves healthy.”

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MacDonald isn’t the only Super Rugby Pacific coach to have spoken out about the difficulty of competing in the midst of the fresh Covid outbreak.

Brumbies boss Dan McKellar last week called for “common sense” over virus protocols before adding that the team that best deals with the disruption caused by Covid will have the biggest chance of succeeding in Super Rugby Pacific.

That team may well be the Blues, who are not only blessed with depth and talent throughout their squad, but also have contingency plans in place to deal with the imminent outbreak of Covid within the competition.

“I think that’s the reality of the country, isn’t it? It’s coming, and it’s going to get a lot of us,” MacDonald said.

“We’ve just got to be ready for it as best we can, and being healthy helps, and taking all the precautions we can, but we’re expecting it to get into our team at some point, and we’ve got to make sure we deal with it as best we can.”

The Blues will open the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific campaign against cross-town rivals Moana Pasifika at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on February 18.

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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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