Super Rugby fixture off the cards for Blenheim

The first Super Rugby game to be played in Blenheim since 2016 has been called off.

The Crusaders have been forced to move their second pre-season fixture against the Hurricanes from Blenheim to Christchurch in the wake of New Zealand’s Covid-19 restrictions.

Yesterday, club bosses revealed they had made the difficult decision to cancel the Blenheim game, originally scheduled for Friday 11 February.

The game will now be held in private in Christchurch with crowds kept out due to red light rules.

Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge says the substantial cost of delivering this fixture at a regional venue and the current Omicron situation in New Zealand made the Marlborough game untenable.

“We have to plan logistics and provide certainty to a number of key stakeholders around our events, as well as doing all we can to minimise the financial risk to our club and those local partners who will be delivering and supporting the event.

“…Government announcement confirming a move to the red traffic light setting has reaffirmed that it is no longer practical for us to proceed with this particular match as scheduled in Blenheim.

“We cannot deliver this game in front of a crowd. Instead, we will look to reschedule a game against the Hurricanes behind closed doors in Christchurch.”

Colin says the disappointing news will be especially hard for Blenheim fans.

“It’s always a highlight of our pre-season to connect with fans in parts of the Crusaders region we don’t usually get to play, and this news will be especially disappointing for the people of Blenheim who were really looking forward to seeing the first Super Rugby game played at Lansdowne Park since 2016.”

“Tasman Rugby has worked closely with our Crusaders events team and put a significant amount of time and energy into planning for this game, and while we know they are also disappointed, we’re grateful for their understanding during what is a difficult time.”

Tickets already purchased for the pre-season match in Blenheim will be refunded, and fans are advised the Crusaders ticketing team will process these in the coming days.