Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea has questioned the logic behind the four hour bus trips players are going to face for the early rounds of Super Rugby Pacific.
The New Zealand teams have shifted to Queenstown to try and negate the threat of COVID-19 interrupting the competition, but with no floodlit grounds on offer, night games – which are favourable for broadcasters – have to be played out of town.
Initially they were going to be played at Rugby Park in Invercargill, but one day after that news, New Zealand Rugby announced they would instead be played at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium, as they said the facilities there, including the roof, made it the teams’ favoured option.
Super Rugby Pacific kicks off this weekend with Waratahs vs Drua, Chiefs vs Highlanders, Crusaders vs Hurricanes, Reds vs Rebels and Brumbies vs Force – all streaming ad-free, live and on demand only on Stan Sport
READ MORE: Storm secrets spark ‘epiphany’ for Rebels coach
READ MORE: How your club will fare in Super Rugby Pacific
READ MORE: All the round one Super Rugby Pacific teams
However, speaking ahead of his side’s season-opener against the Crusaders on Saturday night, Savea noted there were some player welfare concerns with the extra 80 minutes or so that has been added on to what was already going to be extended trips to the ground.
“It’s not ideal, being on a bus for four hours, then having to play a professional rugby game, against a quality side – you think of the health and safety there,” he said.
“We’re trusting our trainers to just try and come up with something that will help us prep well. I think all the teams will be in the same situation.
https://twitter.com/StanSportRugby/status/1494144917710409730?s=20&t=5AGAOC2APto7vNg_hasNAA
“But we’ve got guys coming back from long-term injuries, and they’re quite nervous sitting on a bus for four hours and then having to play their first game.
“Hopefully with all this COVID stuff we’re able to go back home and play instead of driving four hours to play a match.”
Having to head straight back to their Queenstown bubbles after the 7.05pm (NZT) fixtures, it will make for an approximately eight-hour round-trip on game day, with teams not expected to return to their hotels until around 2.30am (NZT) the next morning.
https://twitter.com/StanSportRugby/status/1494166286309466123?s=20&t=5AGAOC2APto7vNg_hasNAA
The teams are slated to be in Queenstown for at least the first three weeks of the competition, and it’s the Crusaders who will face the most travel out of anyone.
Starting their quest for a sixth-straight title, the red and blacks don’t have any afternoon fixtures – which are to be staged at the nearby Wakatipu Rugby Club – while the Hurricanes and Highlanders have one and the Chiefs and Blues have two.
Moana Pasifika were also set to face three night games, though their competition-opener against the Blues was postponed due to the COVID outbreak in their camp last week.
https://twitter.com/StanSportRugby/status/1494529608640720902?s=20&t=5AGAOC2APto7vNg_hasNAA
Meanwhile, Savea claimed he’s “actually not too sure” about how many minutes he is allowed to bank in the season-opener, as part of the All Blacks’ gradual return to play policies.
“I think it’s not a minutes thing, it’s a ‘see how my lungs go’,” he said. “I’m actually really nervous. I think a lot of the ABs boys are nervous as we haven’t played a rugby game in a couple of months.
“They say you can do all the fitness in the world, but it never caters to being on the rugby field.”
Savea comes into the season on the back of a big year of captaincy, having been handed the 2021 Hurricanes’ leadership, then also skippering the All Blacks in four tests during the Rugby Championship in the absence of Sam Cane and Sam Whitelock.
He said the off-season had been a good time for reflection on what he can work on in his captaincy, but that he would lean plenty on the other leaders who had been there from the start of pre-season.
And, starting at No.8, the 28-year-old would really like that to be where he finishes the season, too, having still at times floated to openside flanker last year, both at Super level and in three of his eight tests.
https://twitter.com/StanSportRugby/status/1494544732860604419?s=20&t=5AGAOC2APto7vNg_hasNAA
“They’re quite different in terms of role and what they do,” Savea said.
“For me, in the past, I kind of preferred seven… but I’d prefer just to stick to one position.
“I’m obviously really grateful, but I think being able to just sit in the saddle in one position plays a big part in becoming better in that position.”
CRUSADERS (15-1): Will Jordan, George Bridge, Braydon Ennor, David Havili, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Fergus Burke, Bryn Hall, Cullen Grace, Tom Christie, Pablo Matera, Sam Whitelock, Scott Barrett (c), Oli Jager, Brodie McAlister, Joe Moody
Reserves: Shilo Klein, George Bower, Tamaiti Williams, Quinten Strange, Mitch Dunshea, Mitch Drummond, Simon Hickey, Sevu Reece
HURRICANES (15-1): Jordie Barrett, Julian Savea, Billy Proctor, Peter Umaga-Jensen, Wes Goosen, Ruben Love, Jamie Booth, Ardie Savea (c), Du’Plessis Kirifi, Devan Flanders, Justin Sangster, James Blackwell, Tyrel Lomax, Asafo Aumua, Pouri Rakete-Stones
Reserves: Jacob Devery, Xavier Numia, Ben May, Reed Prinsep, Brayden Iose, Richard Judd, Jackson Garden-Bachop, Bailyn Sullivan
– This article originally appeared on stuff.co.nz and is reproduced with permission
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!