Coronavirus: Whanganui sport grapples with uncertainty

Wanganui Rugby are remaining calm despite an uncertain future. Photo / Lewis Gardner

With various sports leagues around the country postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, Sport Whanganui and the Wanganui Rugby Football Union are remaining calm as they head into unprecedented territory.

This comes after NZ Rugby and Netball New Zealand announced on Tuesday that all club and community rugby and netball will be postponed until April 18.

NZ Football announced yesterday that all community football will be postponed until May 2.

Wanganui Rugby CEO Bridget Belsham said the three-week postponement only affected the senior rugby season, which was scheduled to start on March 25.

Junior and secondary school rugby remains unaffected at this point and is due to their start in early May.

Belsham said there isn't much it can do as the situation remains very fluid.

"We knew a delay of some sort was going to come, just with the physicality and the contact aspect of rugby.

"Next week we could be having a very different conversation."

The future is unknown, Sport Whanganui CEO Danny Jonas said.

Sport Whanganui's Danny Jonas is taking it "one day at a time." Photo / Bevan Conley

"I guess at the moment it's a day by day approach. We really don't know what the impact is going to be until the dust settles," Jonas said.

The organisation is preparing for various different situations, including if it gets shut down due to the virus.

"How we can continue to function? We are looking at our own internal policies and procedures if things get shut down, how do we still operate?

"This is absolutely new to us as it is to many other people."

Belsham said Wanganui Rugby will cease all visits to schools and various rugby programmes for the time being.

With the future unknown, Belsham said in the short term the financial hit shouldn't be too bad. She was unsure what the situation would be if the season was cancelled entirely.

"Yes it will have a financial impact but we won't be the only business it will affect.

"It may well impact us a little further down the track if it impacts Heartland rugby per se, with regard to sponsorship. If the virus affects local businesses financially, it may mean they may not support as much. I really don't know what that looks like for us.

"If it means cancelling club rugby or heartland rugby, yes we will miss out on sponsorship, but then we also won't have the expense associated with running those programmes and representative teams."

The financials were not top priority, Belsham said.

"Priority for us is around our rugby community being kept safe."

Chairman of Kaierau Rugby Darrell Robinson said the players are disappointed, but admitted the situation is out of their control and they will abide by NZ Rugby guidelines.

Robinson remained optimistic that the season will go on from April 18.

"This doesn't just affect playing the game of rugby, but the club. It's got financial implications as well."

Kaierau and various other local clubs were meeting on Wednesday night to discuss what the future might entail and how they will approach the upcoming season.