Taranaki Rugby working with New Zealand Rugby to make a plan for alert level 2

Taranaki Rugby is urging clubs and stakeholders to maintain their patience until concrete plans are made regarding the start of rugby in New Zealand.

The TRFU is continuing to work with New Zealand Rugby which is following Government guidance and formulating directives on what health and safety processes will look like in alert level 2.

Taranaki Rugby chief executive Laurence Corlett said appropriate measures, that meet the Ministry of Health guidelines, need to be clarified and consistent across all clubs nationwide.

These include the responsibility of clubs and schools, hygiene, contact tracing protocols, crowd management and health and safety plans.

"We really appreciate the patience shown by all of our clubs and stakeholders during this fast-changing situation. We are unlikely to have any rugby for at least another two weeks, and we will continue to update clubs and stakeholders as new information comes to hand," he said.

"Given there is still a risk of the virus spreading in our community, we want to make sure we have everything in place to avoid a cluster. New Zealand Rugby and Sport New Zealand are working with the ministry to ensure the safety of our players, coaches, referees and volunteers is looked after – which is our priority."

In the meantime, players can train at the gym from Thursday, with restrictions in place, but there are to be no club trainings nationwide until at least May 25 when the Government announces any changes to level 2 restrictions.