(Reuters) – Fijian Drua suffered a blow ahead of Friday’s Super Rugby game against the New South Wales Waratahs after head coach Mick Byrne entered isolation following a positive test for COVID-19.
Drua, one of two Pasifika expansion sides joining Australia and New Zealand teams in the competition, are 10th in the standings on six points after six matches.
They are based in Australia for this season to avoid potential travel complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Mick is clearly gutted not to be with the team but remains in good spirits as he completes his recovery and self-isolation period,” Drua CEO Brian Thorburn said in a statement on Thursday.
“He continues to call the shots, of course, and the players are in the very capable hands of our coaching and management staff.”
Byrne’s positive test comes just as the club were forced to relocate to the Gold Coast for the next 10 days as a result of the intense flooding in Lismore.
The floods caused their base at Lennox Head to close and the team made the trip early to Queensland for Friday’s game.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
