New Zealand Rugby is considering centralising Super Rugby squads to help protect the new competition from the impact of Omicron.
Newshub understands all six New Zealand-based teams could soon be together in one part of the country - including newcomers Moana Pasifika.
It can be exclusively revealed that New Zealand Rugby has engaged in high-level talks to establish what their contingency plans look like for Super Rugby Pacific.
It's understood one of those is a centralised hub, which would see all six teams, together in a bubble in the same city. This could come as early as next week.
Among those being considered, is Queenstown. Whichever location hosts the teams needs to have the necessary facilities, infrastructure, and accommodation.
It’s believed the reason this would be needed is because if there's an outbreak in a city which impacts a game being played there, then organisers would have to deal with not one, but two teams being ruled out.
Unlike football's Premier League, Super Rugby can't be postponed to a midweek fixture on a rainy night at Watford, they need to be played on the weekend.
It's understood this is not what NZR wants to have happen, preferring the competition to proceed as they currently have planned, which already isn't their first choice format - with Australian sides and Fijian Drua also involved in the new expanded tournament.
But they also don't want to see what happened with the NPC, where all three Auckland teams were forced to withdraw during last year's COVID-19 lockdown.
