Super Rugby season on hold as coronavirus fears strike

The ongoing round of Super Rugby fixtures will be the last in the foreseeable future, as the tournament will be placed on hold to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Major sports events across the globe have suffered a similar fate, and the southern hemisphere’s premier franchise competition was not spared in terms of the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on public gatherings.

Super Rugby joins in efforts to curb coronavirus spread

With only a couple of matches played behind closed doors this weekend, Super Rugby was one of the few global sport spectacles to retain a semblance of normalcy, until Sanzaar – the game’s governing body in the hemisphere confirmed that there will be no further action beyond the current week.

This was after Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, announced regulations that would force arrivals into the country to undergo 14-day isolation.

Sanzaar issued out a statement on Saturday expressing regret for the temporary cancellation of fixtures.

“We are extremely disappointed for the players, our fans, broadcasters, and partners but given the complexity of our competition structure, and the multiple geographies that we cover, we have no other option but to align with such directives. We also believe it is time for all those players currently overseas to return home and to be with their families,” said Sanzaar CEO Andy Marinos.

“Our priority is, therefore, to ensure our players are within their homes territories from the end of this weekend. SANZAAR will also remain engaged with its stakeholders and will continue to explore avenues to see if we can keep the rugby product alive within our core markets, with the possibility to be in a position to resume the tournament if at all possible in future weeks. We have currently played seven rounds out of the 18 in the normal regular season.”

Andy Marinos

How rugby in the southern hemisphere has been impacted by Covid-19 

Three fixtures remain in the current round of matches, with none taking place in New Zealand.

The Sharks will host the Stormers in Durban at 15:05 (SAST) on Saturday, before the day’s action concludes with a clash between the Jaguares and the Highlanders, taking place behind closed doors at the Estade Jose Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aries.

The weekend – and the foreseeable future’s – final Super Rugby fixture is the Aussie derby between the Brumbies and the Waratahs on Sunday at 7:05 at the GIO Stadium.

The Coronavirus has infected over 1 000 people in the four countries participating in Super Rugby, with Japan the hardest hit with 738 cases and 21 deaths.