Hawke's Bay rugby boss Jay Campbell confident of post-Covid kick off

Bay rugby boss Jay Campbell said he anticipates Super Rugby being played by the end of the year. Photo / File

Hawke's Bay's rugby boss says he's confident the Mapgies season will play out post-lockdown this year.

During alert level 4, all rugby was postponed until the Covid-19 alert levels were "at a safe level for sport", according to New Zealand Rugby, while all club, school and community rugby remains suspended under alert level 3.

The postponement includes training, workshops and the closure of rugby clubs.

While a professional sport, for both contact and non-contact activities, is still be prohibited, Hawke's Bay Rugby Union chief executive Jay Campbell is confident rugby will start up again in the region soon enough.

"There will definitely be a Mitre 10 Cup in 2020," he said. "Covid-19 has caused significant damage to many businesses and sporting competitions, but it does present some great opportunities for the Mitre 10 Cup, including All Blacks playing and the best players in NZ being available."

Campbell added: "Currently all provincial unions are working collectively in developing a number of scenarios around what shape the competition looks like."

NZR said they are continuing to work closely with the Ministry of Health and Sport New Zealand on 'Return to Rugby' protocols for the 2020 season.

"We are presently working through what rugby activity can occur under alert level 2 and we will provide more guidance on this as soon as possible," they said.

"For a return to rugby, we will take our lead from the Ministry of Health in determining when Covid-19 alert levels are once again at a safe level for sport."

Campbell said he also anticipates Super Rugby being played by the end of 2020.

"It's exciting to see some of the various options and I think our rugby public will be excited about what they are in for.

"Our first priority is seeing our community game commence, and I know clubs and schools are desperate to be given the green light to resume training.

"We see the Magpies as a great vehicle to bring the Hawke's Bay community together given the very challenging times we are all going through, and hopefully they can bring some smiles to faces once the team gets up and going."

Hawke's Bay Rugby Union announced on Thursday it had re-signed Total Lubricants as the Magpies' principal sponsor for the next three seasons.

Commercial manager Dan Somerville said Magpies' fans should be excited as there will be a significant investment in match day experiences.

"Both parties came together recently to brainstorm how we could go about activating this sponsorship and ideas were sparking from both sides of the table to make Magpies' games as fun and interactive as possible," he said.

"With public hungry for rugby, there will be additional interest in the Mitre 10 Cup in 2020. The likelihood of All Blacks and other stars participating makes this a very exciting, not to be missed competition."

Oil Intel director Reuben Thickpenny added: "More than ever, we feel privileged and excited to be able to support the Magpies – as to us, this support extends to communities across New Zealand," he said.

"Just as the actual games, we look to organise activities that truly bring together families and friends of all ages. It is an opportunity to do something unique for a special community."

Thickpenny added: "Family is a word often used within our office premises as well, it is what our culture is built upon."