The Super Rugby Pacific round 4 between the Hurricanes and Moana Pasifika in Wellington match on Saturday has been postponed.
Both teams released statements this morning highlighting the reasons for the postponement of the match. It is reported that Covid-19 has affected a great number of players in the Hurricanes squad making it difficult to field a playing 23 for Saturday. The decision to postpone had also been made on the advice of the DHL Super Rugby Medical Advisory Group.
For the Hurricanes, this is their first postponement for the season. However for Moana Pasifika, this has been somewhat of a regular occurrence for them having already been denied their first two matches of the competition due to Covid-related issues.
Hurricanes CEO Avan Lee expressed how difficult it was to take in the news for the team.
“We were obviously gutted for our Hurricanes Poua squad when they had to pull out of their inaugural match and now our men’s team are dealing with their own disappointment, so I guess it shows how widely Covid is affecting people right now,” he says,
“We obviously wanted to play, and I really feel for the staff and players. On the bright side, this is merely a postponement and we’re looking forward to taking on Moana Pasifika later in the season at home here in Wellington, and most importantly, welcoming our members, fans and partners back to our house.”
“We are also disappointed for Moana Pasifika who have already had to deal with this situation twice this season. We’d like to thank them for their understanding, and we look forward to meeting them later in the season.”
On the other side of the fence, Moana Pasifika CEO Pelenato Sakalia echoed the same thoughts regarding the postponement.
“Dealing with Covid is extremely complicated and it is important that the focus shifts to the health and well being of the Hurricanes team. Under the circumstances of postponing the game is the right decision and Moana Pasifika wishes the Hurricanes team a speedy recovery and look forward to meeting on the field soon”
