New Zealand Rugby officials are confident a mosquito-transmitted virus in Samoa and an annoying drain won't threaten the All Blacks' historic Test in Apia.
NZR chief executive Steve Tew said on Friday that neither issue is a cause of panic and is confident the Test on July 8 will go ahead as scheduled.
It will be the first time the All Blacks have played a sanctioned Test in the Pacific Islands.
The chief concern is an outbreak of chikungunya, which carries similar symptoms to another mosquito-borne virus, dengue fever. More than 4000 cases have been reported in Samoa since July last year.
Tew says the number of infections is beginning to wane but the situation will be monitored closely as the Test falls less than three months out from the Rugby World Cup.
NZR will continue to seek information up until the day they fly to Apia.
"We would not be wanting to send World Cup athletes into an area where they could be put at significant risk of catching something that's going to debilitate them," he said.
"We are reliant on the government and other agencies to give us that advice and right now there are no travel warnings for Samoa."
Chikungunya can cause an onset of sudden fever, followed by joint pain which can last for months or years.
Meanwhile, an NZR operations team in Samoa last week also raised concerns about a concrete drain that has been laid around the outside of the Apia Park venue.
The drain will run inside an athletics track to be used for September's Commonwealth Youth Games, but its dimensions mean it cuts into the rugby ground's dead ball areas.
Tew says an acceptable method of covering the drain will need to be found, as was the case when the All Blacks played Japan in a Test at Prince Chichibu Stadium in Tokyo in 2013.
"We don't think it's insurmountable and we're working on solutions as we speak."
Share
