Fijian franchise will be based in Australia due to Covid

The leaders of Drua, the Fijian franchise that will participate in the Super Rugby Pacific, have announced this new competition in the Southern Hemisphere whose first edition will begin in February 2022, in Australia due to travel restrictions due to Covid-19. .

The team was originally scheduled to play its home matches in Suva, the capital of Fiji, but Fiji Rugby President Conway Begg said a decision “Difficult but necessaryIt must have been taken for Australia.

«We must give our team every chance to succeed, and the uncertainty surrounding unrestricted travel between Fiji, Australia and New Zealand by February 2022 due to Covid-19 has been too risky. ‘, he did not say.

He added that players and management will have to make great sacrifices by staying away from their homes throughout the season, which runs from February to June.

«But everyone knows the huge opportunity that Super Rugby Pacific represents for our players and for the future of the rugby union program.Conway Begg said.

Moana Pasifika, l’autre franchise admise dans ce Super Rugby Pacifique, une version agrandie du Super Rugby Trans-Tasman qui en 2021 a réuni cinq franchises australiennes et cinq néo-zélandaises, regroupera les meilleurs desera ga basetéurs New Zealand.

The contribution of two new Pacific Island franchises should allow these nations’ best players to keep them on their territory instead of constantly seeing them go into exile in foreign leagues.

«The rugby world has known for a long time what our players can do… Now we have the opportunity to do it week after week at Super Rugby Pacificsaid John O’Connor, managing director of Rugby Fiji.

Before global sport came to a halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Super Rugby, a major competition in the Southern Hemisphere, gathered a total of 15 from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Argentina and Japan.

Instead, only national versions were created in Australia and New Zealand: Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Aotearoa, before the two countries’ franchises were combined into the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.