NZ Rugby to Reveal Super Rugby Backup Plan

Following the competition's two-week suspension due to the Coronavirus, New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson has revealed that plans for a reshaped Super Rugby consisting of Kiwi derbies could be unveiled "by the end of the week."

Hot on the heels of the Covid-19 outbreak, the New Zealand government introduced stringent new conditions on people entering the country but NZ Rugby and Sanzaar have been working on rugby content to prevent financial meltdown.   

Speaking on Sky Sport‘s The Breakdown show on Tuesday evening, Mark Robinson said that NZ Rugby would be in a position to share the details of the plan before the week was over.

"Now we've got everybody [the Highlanders and Crusaders] home the attention shifts to how we can make the best of this situation," Robinson said.

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"It's been very clear that we've paused for two weeks and we're quite excited about what we're starting to develop with our Super clubs, with Sky obviously heavily involved in some of the discussion we're having around what alternative products might look like.

"This is a process that is quite complex and detailed and we have to make sure we take people with us and go through all the permutations.

"[But] we'd like to think by the end of the week we're in a situation to share more detail."

The Highlanders are currently in self-isolation after returning from Argentina, but in theory the other four Kiwi franchises could be ready to play in three weeks’ time.