Super Round Melbourne match, Moana Pasifika versus Western Force, postponed due to COVID-19.
The Super Rugby Pacific Round 10 match between Moana Pasifika and the Western Force has been postponed due to COVID-19 impacts on the Force squad. The Super Rugby Pacific Medical Advisory Group made the decision to postpone the match, scheduled for this Friday 22 April as part of Super Round Melbourne, due to a large number of the Force squad being unavailable for selection. The Super Rugby Pacific tournament is very disappointed to have to postpone another game this season but the decision was made with the best interests of the health and well-being of players and staff in mind. Every effort was made to try to ensure this game could go ahead as part of Super Round Melbourne, but with a large contingent of the Western Force squad unavailable, it simply wasn’t feasible.
Force CEO Tony Lewis said that it is crucial to protect the player's health and well-being as well as the integrity of the club and the competition.
"The Western Force has medically reported considerable numbers of COVID-19 cases within the squad, which under Rugby Australia protocols means they are not available for selection,” Lewis said. "We have worked closely with Rugby Australia High Performance to firstly protect the integrity of the Western Force club and Super Rugby Pacific.”
Lewis said that it is disappointing for both clubs to miss out on the competition's inaugural Super Round, but particularly for Moana Pasifika who are dealing with their fourth postponed match of the season.
“We have made every effort possible to assist in making this game go ahead. Despite looking at multiple player replacement options, the number of players affected is simply too great,” Lewis said.
“We’d like to thank Moana Pasifika for their understanding, and we look forward to meeting them at a later date.”
Super Round Melbourne still promises to be an incredible, historic weekend for our competition, with five Super Rugby Pacific matches and the Australian Super W final all taking place at AAMI Park. SANZAAR will now work with all stakeholders to find a suitable date for the postponed match to take place.
