All five countries have confirmed coronavirus cases MELBOURNE: Super Rugby organizers have decided to suspend the competition indefinitely after the weekend’s games because New Zealand players returning home from matches overseas faced being forced into self-isolation for two weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic. SANZAAR, the body that runs Super Rugby, said the tournament would be off for the “foreseeable future” with only seven of 18 rounds of the regular season completed. The decision was prompted by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s announcement that people entering the country from trips overseas, including returning New Zealand citizens, would have to self-isolate for 14 days from midnight Sunday. Only travelers from a handful of Pacific Island nations were exempted. That decision would make the cross-border Super Rugby competition untenable, with the tournament featuring teams from five nations, including five teams from New Zealand. Teams from Australia, Japan, South Africa and Argentina also play in Super Rugby, which runs from January to June. All five countries have confirmed coronavirus cases. “The safety and welfare of the public, our players and other stakeholders is paramount and as previously stated we were always going to abide by government and health authority instructions on the issue of COVID-19 containment,” SANZAAR CEO Andy Marinos said. There were still three games in the round to be played when the suspension announcement came — in South Africa, Argentina and Australia. The matches in South Africa and Australia went ahead but the match in Buenos Aires between Argentina’s Jaguares and New Zealand’s Highlanders was cancelled. The Highlanders will not be able to return to New Zealand before the midnight Sunday deadline, meaning players, coaches and support staff will have to self-isolate for 14 days.