The draw for round two of Super Rugby Pacific has been reshuffled to give Moana Pasifika the best chance of being able to play their scheduled match against the Chiefs.
Originally scheduled to be played in Dunedin on Friday, the game will now be played at Queenstown on Sunday, with a kick-off time of 3:35pm.
The revised schedule also means the Highlanders clash with the Crusaders has moved forward 24 hours, while the Blues match with the Hurricanes also shifts forward one day, with a change of venue and kick-off time, from 3:35pm in Queenstown, to 7:05pm in Dunedin.
Moana Pasifika's first round match against the Blues was postponed, when the squad was forced into isolation at their Queenstown hotel, after members of their group tested positive for COVID-19. The move to Sunday provides an extra two days for players and staff affected to recover.
On Sunday, the first cohort of Moana Pasifika players and management were approved by New Zealand Public Health to leave isolation today and resume training.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) will continue to work with Moana Pasifika to ensure players have adequate time to safely prepare for their rescheduled match against the Chiefs, with priority placed on player safety and wellbeing at training.
NZR says it will confirm when the postponed fixture against the Blues will be played shortly.
"It is great to see Moana Pasifika coming out of isolation and the squad continue to follow all health advice as they return to training," says NZR general manager professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum.
"We are not able to discuss details of Moana Pasifika's COVID cases but the new schedule for round two provides Moana Pasifika with the best possible opportunity to prepare for a return to play."
Join Newshub for live updates of all of the Super Rugby Pacific action in round two.
