An emergency meeting of clubs was held in Dunedin last night following revelations from Pirates it was being hard hit by player injuries and would struggle to get enough players on the paddock this weekend.
Rumours swirled last week it may be forced to default against University after it got less than a dozen players to practice the previous week. But it managed to field a team, although it was well beaten, 72-3.
The premier side's front row stocks have been decimated through injury and unavailability, to the point where the club feels it can no longer safely field a team. Safety requirements stipulate each team must include a replacement front row on the bench.
Pirates held an emergency meeting on Tuesday night to discuss the issue and asked the Dunedin Metropolitan Rugby Committee to help it find a solution.
The committee met last night and nine of the 10 clubs with a premier team attended. University did not have a representative.
Otago Rugby Football Union community rugby manager Richard Perkins said Pirates laid its cards on the table and called for some assistance.
Pirates club chairman Conrad Stedman said he hoped other clubs could assist the club this weekend and that appeared to be happening.
Some clubs had indicated they would offer some players this weekend, he said.
Pirates has asked for four loan players this weekend and will need to borrow a prop for around three weeks.
‘‘From there, we hope to get some new players in and then some players will be coming back from injury,'' Stedman said.
‘‘It is not ideal, obviously, but injuries happen and you have to have two front rows.''
Stedman said a couple of players were coming from overseas, more players would also come to the club and others would return from injury in the next few weeks.
Whether Pirates fields a team on Saturday will be confirmed in the next couple of days.
Will Ward, Dwain Morrissey and Hamish Clapp are out with injury. Highlanders prop Craig Millar is unavailable. Hisa Sasagi, a mainstay from last season, has moved north to join the Hurricanes and powerlifter Jayden Wilcock is also understood to be unavailable this weekend, as well.
The Otago Daily Times understands the problem extends beyond the front row. There is a vacancy in the midfield, and an injury to first five-eighth Craig Sneddon leaves the side without a decent pivot as well.
Pirates had been aware its front row stocks were thin and the club had been looking for a solution. However, props were in ‘‘short supply''.
There were suggestions the club was considering pulling out from the competition for the rest of the season, but that was not the case.
If Pirates is forced to default it will be the first time a premier club has defaulted a match since the 2003 season, when both Green Island and University B defaulted a game each, although that was later in the season.
There have already been two defaults in the premier two competition this year as clubs struggle with player numbers.
Pirates has won one game this season, beating Green Island early in the season.
