After little more than two weeks, Super Rugby Pacific Queenstown-based isolation bubble is about to burst.
On Wednesday, the Chiefs will be the first team to leave Queenstown, after their second-round match against Moana Pasifika was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak within the newcomers' squad.
The rescheduled fixture has now been earmarked for Hamilton, suggesting he competition is, once again, on the move.
"We're now at a point where we're working through with the clubs about their exit to return to their home environment," says Cameron Good, NZ Rugby's head of tournaments and competitions.
"In the case of the Chiefs, that will be tomorrow."
The postponement of the Chiefs second round clash against Moana Pasifika means they'll be waving goodbye to "bubble life" earlier than anticipated.
"With no game this weekend we thought best to try and get the team home to families to spend time with them," says Chiefs chief executive Michael Collins.
But it's not only the teams who had to make sacrifices to make the short-notice move to Queenstown.
The relocation of 300 players and staff has come at a cost upwards of $1 million.
"We see it as a success," says Good.
"All the other teams got the second preseason game they were seeking, and we managed to play the competition games last weekend and again this weekend."
With the exception of Moana Pasifika, who spent most of their time isolated in their hotels rooms. Several players and staff tested positive for COVID-19, which prevented them from making their Super Rugby competition debut.
"Unfortunately we just had an incident where there was an exposure event before they moved to Queenstown," adds Good. "It's no one's fault, just the reality of what we're dealing now with COVID."
But with the Government now at phase two of its Omicron reponse, officials are confident the competition can continue safely at their home stadiums, and shortly, in front of crowds.
For the Chiefs, that could include a rescheduled midweek fixture against Moana Pasifika to make-up for this week's postponement
"While it's not ideal leading into the Blues next week, the silver lining is we will play at home," notes Collins.
Hopefully, home will bring some normality back to a competition that has anything but.
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