Super Rugby

Super Rugby Aotearoa is the first professional rugby competition in the world to have fans return en-masse in the Covid-19 era.

Bryn Gatland gave the home supporters plenty to cheer about with his match-winning last-minute drop kick. The Highlanders had led 22 to 16 at halftime but the Chiefs - coached by Gatland's father, Warren - fought back to take the lead 27-25 with just three minutes remaining.

However, Bryn Gatland snatched the win with a 40m drop goal and just 60 seconds left on the clock.

New Zealand's government lifted virtually all COVID-19 restrictions earlier this week, allowing a 10-week competition for the country's five Super Rugby teams to begin this weekend without any limits on crowd sizes.

The Blues said that by 12 noon on Saturday they had sold 43,000 tickets, the capacity set for the match, and there would be no gate sales on matchday.

Eden Park can usually seat up to about 50,000.

"It was only a few weeks ago that we were planning for a competition behind closed doors," Blues chief executive Andrew Hore said in a statement on Saturday.

The five team New Zealand competition will also allow players to be replaced after they're shown a red card.

While the new red card rules will allow a team to replace a player who has been sent off, they won't be able to do so for 20 minutes.

The golden point system will work along the same lines as the National Rugby League's.

If the scores are level after 80 minutes of play the first team to score during a 10-minute period of extra time will win.

Sources have confirmed to RNZ that the former Crusaders star will join the Blues for the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition, which kicks off on Saturday week.

The 38-year-old's signing is expected to be announced at a media session in Auckland at midday.

The Blues coach Leon MacDonald messaged the team on Wednesday to tell them Carter was joining the side as injury cover for Stephen Perofeta.

"His motive is to give back to NZ Rugby by sharing his experience/knowledge with us.

"Great opportunity to learn from one of the games' greats," Macdonald wrote.

With rugby preparing to return from the coronavirus shutdown, Japan's Sunwolves had been in talks to join Australia's four Super Rugby teams and Perth-based Western Force in a 12-week tournament slated for July-September.

However, Rugby Australia (RA) said earlier on Monday that travel curbs and border controls had made it too hard to involve the team.

Sunwolves CEO Yuji Watase said it had been an honour to play in Super Rugby.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today told the Mike Hosking Breakfast on Newstalk ZB that New Zealand would most likely move to level one on June 10.

The Super Rugby Aotearoa competition kicks off three days later when the Highlanders host the Chiefs in Dunedin. The following day the Blues and Hurricanes clash at Eden Park.

Crusaders boss Colin Mansbridge told Hosking the original guidelines at that level had no restrictions on gatherings and plans were in place to have crowds for home games.

It was, as Paisami says, “The size of a family car”.

Not wanted at the Melbourne Rebels – the city he and his family had moved to only a few years earlier from Auckland – Paisami packed his bags and moved into agent Anthony Picone’s office at Kangaroo Point in Brisbane.

“I was a bit ashamed. I was a bit lost at the start when I lost my contract with the Rebels,” Paisami tells rugby.com.au. 

“I made the move here with no family, didn’t know anywhere. Had to restart all over again. 

The New Zealand competition kicks off on June 13 following the country’s recent move to alert Level 2, with games initially set to go ahead without fans, however, due to crowd limitations and restrictions still in place.

Earlier this week, the Government said they will evaluate moving the country into alert Level 1 on June 22, giving franchises hope of welcoming fans back to live games.

With the Crusaders not playing at home until round three – on June 28 – Mansbridge told NZME things look promising to have his side run out in front of their home supporters.

Barrett posted a time of 4min 12 seconds at Blues training earlier this week taking eight seconds off his previous best for the 1.2km shuttle run, which is completed in five sets of 20m, 40m and 60m distances.

It's a fitness test all the Super Rugby use and yesterday it was the Chiefs turn with Damien McKenzie expected to go close to Barrett's record but Chiefs assistant coach Tabai Matson says while McKenzie has "jet shoes" he didn't pip Barrett.

"He was close to a PB (personal best time) so that's a big thing but there were no world records broken.

The fleet-footed World Cup winner, who turns 25 on Wednesday, is one of the most exciting outside backs in South Africa and will add firepower to a Stormers backline which already features the likes of Herschel Jantjies, Damian Willemse, Sebaelo Senatla and Sergeal Petersen.