No decision yet on Blues-Crusaders sold-out finale
Auckland: The Blues-Crusaders Super Rugby Aotearoa sold-out finale has not been called off yet, with teams remaining in a holding pattern pending government advice.
In a statement released yesterday, the Blues indicated they had gone into a partial shutdown as per the Government’s latest Level 3 lockdown imposed on Auckland city and were awaiting further developments.
The Blues are due to host the Crusaders in the last Super Rugby Aotearoa match for 2020 at Eden Park on Sunday. The franchise announced on Monday it was a sellout, with all 43,236 tickets accounted for.
The Highlanders are also scheduled to host the Hurricanes in Dunedin on Saturday night to kick off the closing round. The Crusaders have already been declared champions, with an unassailable six-point lead at the top of the table.
The Government’s latest Covid-19 restrictions run through until midnight on Friday, with further advice expected before then around a potential extension.
“The Blues, along with fellow Super Rugby Aotearoa partners and NZR (New Zealand Rugby), are currently assessing the impact of both the Blues-Crusaders and Highlanders-Hurricanes games with the move to Covid-19 Level 3 in Auckland and the rest of the country to Level 2,” the statement said.
“NZR is in close and constant dialogue with Government and we will pass on more information when we have it.
“We are working through all the numerous scenarios and will probably be in a better position to comment with more clarity tomorrow (Thursday).”
The Blues said players and staff were now based at their homes awaiting updates.
“We are busy this morning readying our facility for shutdown as per level 3 requirements, cleaning gym equipment which will be dispersed around players so they can continue to train and prepare for our final game.”
Whether that final game goes ahead now remains the big question. There is also a possibility the last round could be pushed back a week, though that would put it right up against the North-South match scheduled for Eden Park on August 29.