ANALYSIS: New Zealand desperate to get past Super Rugby Pacific COVID flashpoint
After that, both NZR and Rugby Australia are still hoping like hell that things will be OK-ish enough for the inaugural ANZAC weekend super round — where all twelve teams will descend on AAMI Park in Melbourne — to go ahead, kicking off the trans-Tasman element of the competition.
All 12 teams will have a bye round somewhere over the three weeks of Rounds 7, 8 and 9, and while some of the rescheduled games will be able to be replayed then, others won't. The Moana Pasifika team has so far only been able to play one of its four games postponed due to COVID. The Highlanders have been able to draw on extra players, some who did pre-season or have been training with other teams in 2022, and are said to be "cautiously optimistic" they will be able to field a team to face the Blues in Dunedin on Saturday.
Both the Crusaders and the Chiefs have been seriously hit by COVID, with at least half their squads affected last weekend.The Chiefs had 17 players out of action last weekend, and the Crusaders had around 65 per cent of their playing squad impacted too. Both are racing the clock for this weekend.
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