Due to today’s announcement from the government that Wellington will move into COVID-19 Alert Level 2 from 6pm this evening until 11:59pm on Sunday night, the Sal’s NBL will make some changes to the Round 9 schedule.
Friday night’s game between the Mike Pero Nelson Giants and the Wellington Saints will now be played on Wednesday June 30th at 6:30pm at the same venue (Trafalgar Centre, Nelson). This follows the governments recommendation that travellers who leave Wellington “take the restrictions with them”.
Sunday afternoon’s game between the Wellington Saints and the Hawke’s Bay Taylor Hawks will clearly also be affected. The League, the Saints, and the Hawks are working through some potential solutions. The League will release the updated details as soon as they are finalised.
General Manager of the Sal’s NBL Justin Nelson was well prepared for this scenario arising some time during the season, saying “Similar to last year’s Showdown, which was this week recognised by Sport NZ, the Sal’s NBL always puts the health and safety of our players, coaches, officials, staff and fans first.”
“In light of the current rise in alert level in Wellington, together with our teams, we have acted swiftly to ensure every measure is taken to look after our community.”
“In particular I want to thank the Saints, Giants and Hawks for responding quickly and working with us to find the best solutions to ensure we continue to conduct our business and entertain our fans.
“Sky Sport has also been instrumental in working with the League to ensure there is no disruption to our broadcast coverage.
“With regards to the Nelson Giants game against the Wellington Saints, this will be moved to next Wednesday when we all hope to feel more comfortable with a team travelling out of Wellington.
“We’re working through every possibility to make sure that Sunday's much anticipated rematch between the Saints and the Hawks goes ahead, and will update as soon as we can.
“We thank everyone for their support and understanding.”
Round 9 of the Sal’s NBL gets underway Thursday at 7:30pm when the EnviroNZ Franklin Bulls take on the Wheeler Motor Company Canterbury Rams in Pukekohe. All Sal’s NBL games are live on Sky Sport.
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