12 October 2021
In light of Auckland remaining at Alert Level 3, Counties Manukau, Akarana and the Auckland Vulcans unfortunately cannot compete in the NZRL Men’s and Women’s National Competition for 2021.
No contact training is permitted at Alert Level 3; therefore, Auckland teams have insufficient time to prepare for a safe return to play.
NZ16s, NZ18s Girls and Schools v Clubs 18s matches scheduled for 13th – 14th November in Auckland have also been cancelled, with Auckland based players unable to participate in the representative weekend.
NZRL have considered pushing the representative weekend out to later in November; however, this impedes student exam time and scheduled summer sports events.
We will provide an update following Monday’s press conference regarding potential alternative playing opportunities for Auckland Youth teams (Alert Level dependent).
In the meantime, we encourage all those in Level 3 regions, Tāmaki Makaurau, Waikato and Northland, to stick to their bubbles, wear a face mask, and continue to abide by Covid protocol. Any person feeling unwell or presenting cold, flu, or COVID-19 symptoms should immediately contact their doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5453.
NZRL will provide further detail on Waikato and Northland participation in this weekend’s National and Youth competitions following Wednesday’s press conference.
