NPC Covid interruption
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@stargazer said in Level 4 NPC?:
I wonder whether they could shorten the NPC by cutting out two of the four cross-over games?
you could make it better by cutting all four cross-over games
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@stargazer said in Level 4 NPC?:
I wonder whether they could shorten the NPC by cutting out two of the four cross-over games?
The NPC final is scheduled for October 23rd. Last year the Covid affected NPC finished on Nov 27th
Maybe that's the amount of leeway they have? About 5 weeks?
Although the players that have other jobs may not be able to keep extending
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@mariner4life Whether I agree with that or not, it's not possible (this year) because there have already been two rounds of NPC, including cross-over games.
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@duluth Yeah, hopefully they can extend the comp that long. It may be difficult for provinces who don't have many SR players. Maybe allow them to replace those players who can't stay because of other jobs, and be lenient with the rules around loan and origin players?
Edited to add that Heartland teams can also play without professionals. How do they do it? And maybe use their players?
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Never thought I would applaud a lockdown, but as Northland supporter this is gold especially with our injury list which is a long as the season itself .
With several players already on the injured list and now 3 on the suspension list , it was hardly looking good .
On the upside , in times like this , having the lowest player budget in the comp is not a bad thing from a financial piece .
Hopefully a week or 2 off can bring a bit of a reload . -
@steven-harris 3 on the suspension list...oh are you including Pryor.
A week off at least means we won't have a red card and suspension this weekend...
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@taniwharugby Pryor, Hawkins and ?
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@steven-harris Do cancelled games count as served under suspension? Or will the suspension be .. uhm ... suspended until the comp resumes?
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@stargazer said in Level 4 NPC?:
@steven-harris Do cancelled games count as served under suspension? Or will the suspension be .. uhm ... suspended until the comp resumes?
I imagine, random guess, cancelled games will postponed won't. A cancelled game has been completed, whereas a postponed game has just been moved.
But common sense says nah they don't count
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@stargazer more than likely Isi Manu, similar shot to Hawkins , red carded against Taranaki
Injured
Rene Ranger possible return Week 8 or 9 broken arm, plate inserted
Tom Robinson Week 5 or ,but will only play if he is cleared after an assessment
Brady Rush Week 4 recovery from ankle injury
Sam Nock ..soft tissue injury
Fano Funaki ,week 4/5 recovering from a broken leg
Cory Taylor in a moon boot
Rivez Reihana..ankle ..? -
@machpants would be nice , but no, it’s based on games played ..they should have drafted him into the B team.😂
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@stargazer assuming Manu got a break following his red card v Taranaki
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From the Marlborough App:
Rugby bosses discuss options as game goes on 'hold'
Although rugby across the nation has ground to a standstill, Ta$man Rugby Union CEO Lyndon Bray says his union and the governing body are looking at “all possibilities” for a speedy resumption of play as soon as alert levels permit.
“[COVID] has certainly thrown a spanner in the works,” said Lyndon. “However, New Zealand Rugby and all the PUs [provincial unions] have had some really good dialogue so far. We have stayed in touch very closely.
“What is clear is that we have a very aligned view on the fact that what is best for all our communities and for us as an industry is that we get rugby back on the field.
“That is the number one priority, if and when we come out of level four and three.
“What that basically means is that we are prepared to look at all possibilities for getting teams on the field … but we are not going to try and imagine what that looks like until we know that we are heading out of lockdown, otherwise we just end up going round and round in circles.
“Then we can start to construct who can play who and over what period of time. The hope would be that those teams who suffer the fate of being under level four for longer could be re-introduced, if possible, depending on time frames.”
The Bunnings NPC season is scheduled to end on October 24. Lyndon says there is some flexibility on how long the season can run, but it is limited.
“We are flexible but we will have to check venue availability, then there are the obvious restraints around summer sport coming into play … then you are moving into pre-season for Super Rugby assembly and players will need a natural break, which is pretty important from a workload and welfare perspective.
“I would hope that we could potentially stretch the season out, but it is up to NZ Rugby to do all the work around the different parties, including our ‘return to play’ protocols, depending how long we remain in lockdown.”
Last season COVID level changes affected the club rugby season, this year it has hit the NPC, the Farah Palmer Cup, Heartland Championship, the final week of the First XV competition and some age-group tournaments.
The first two rounds of the 10-round NPC have been played, the following two weekends postponed at this stage. Five rounds of the Farah Palmer Cup have been played, with the Ta$man Mako women having just a single match to play.
There is also one weekend’s play remaining in the Miles Toyota championship. Nelson College are set to host Christ’s College in the cup final, with Marlborough Boys’ College travelling to Christchurch for the Plate final against Christchurch BHS. -
With the lockdown sure to be extended in Auckland, depending on cases etc, and I'd hazard a guess the South may go to Level 3 I'm getting a horrible gut feeling the NPC may be a non event this year. We've already lost 2 weeks, bound to lose more, and teams would need at least 2 weeks together to train and get back in shape. I just don't see it happening.
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@billsy111 I posted an interesting article here: https://www.forum.thesilverfern.com/post/627175
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@stargazer said in NPC Covid interruption:
@billsy111 I posted an interesting article here: https://www.forum.thesilverfern.com/post/627175
I merged it all into this thread
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@stargazer Very interesting article. But for me there's still a lot of unknowns. When Auckland does come out of lockdown, and who knows when that will be, it's likely to be to Level 3. I'm picking down South will be Level 3 for a couple of weeks, unless of course a case of Covid is announced. I totally get people want the game to recommence, but with Super Rugby squads, to be named, player workload etc, etc, it's hard to see it happening.
