Auckland's three NPC teams have had their seasons officially ended, with their applications to leave Auckland denied by the Government.
It was their third application to leave the city for games, and included detailed plans of fully vaccinated teams, bubble protocols and testing regimes.
"If you're looking at it from a risk to community versus a picnic in Cornwall Park this weekend I would have thought we actually had a pretty compelling case," Counties Manukau general manager Aaron Lawton said.
Rugby aside, some see this as a missed opportunity, as there was a chance to us the players as role models for the power of the vaccine.
"Everyone comes from all different walks of life so in terms of having their favourite player, know they had to be double vaxxed to be able to leave Auckland to go play footy, they could have paved the way in terms of showing a shining light for people who are 50/50 on getting the vaccine," North Harbour outside back Shaun Stevenson told 1News.
The competition will continue on without them, with a revised draw and format to come.
It leaves Auckland unions in a dire financial situation, with the only glimmer of hope a battle of the super city teams, if and when restrictions allow.
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