Super Rugby Pacific: Hurricanes confirm 'we have Covid in our environment' ahead of Moana Pasifika clash

Hurricanes players huddle during a preseason clash. Photo / Photosport

The Hurricanes are the latest Super Rugby Pacific side to be hit by a Covid-19 outbreak.

Hurricanes assistant coach Chris Gibbes confirmed that an undisclosed number of players tested positive for the virus, but didn't expand on the details.

"What I can confirm is that we have got Covid in the environment, I'm just not at liberty to tell you who and how many players we've got," he said. "But it's in the environment and we're working really hard to manage it."

Gibbes said he hoped they will be able to get a team out this weekend against Moana Pasifika.

"We're preparing to take on these guys this weekend, and that's what we're focussed on.

"What we can control is making sure we stay healthy and we're doing everything we can in that space.

"We kind of knew it was coming and we prepared really well for it so from a whole organisation perspective we just need to make sure we can get a team out and get our performance going again this weekend."

Gibbes also refused to reveal whether hooker Asafo Aumua, who was a last-minute withdrawal with illness for last weekend's 21-14 win over the Highlanders, was one of the players who contracted the virus.

The team didn't train on Monday.

Gibbes added that there were several injury worries within the team, including captain Ardie Savea who took a knock to his knee last weekend. His fitness, along with others who are nursing niggles will not be known until later in the week.

"These New Zealand games are massive in terms of the physicality and it takes a lot out of the body, but it normally takes us a little while to get our head around who is going to be available or not so we're still in that space," Gibbes said.

Ahead of the start of the Super Rugby season last month, a Covid-19 outbreak within the Moana Pasifika squad forced their first two games of the season to be postponed.

The Hurricanes are scheduled to take on Moana Pasifika at Sky Stadium in Wellington on Saturday.

The Ministry of Health reported 17,522 new community cases on Monday.