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A revised national double-round competition, dependent on all regulatory approvals, is expected to start in the first half of October, he writes CRAIG LEWIS.
Last Friday, it was confirmed that South African franchise teams will be able to return to full contact training starting this week, after completing final health checks.
The Vodacom Bulls, Lions, Sharks, Stormers, Cheetahs, Pumas and Griquas are expected to head into a restructured competition, with SARugbymag.co.za having reliably learned that October 10 is now the new scheduled date to start acting. However, in the best case scenario, it could even start a week earlier.
It remains to be seen what the rights will be when it comes to a South African Vodacom Super Rugby product or a restructured Currie Cup, but indeed a local tournament finally seems to be on the home stretch, with a potential Superhero Day. possibly before the start of the competition.
Live rugby in South Africa has been effectively blocked since mid-March due to the coronavirus, and while the situation has remained extremely fluid, there has been constant dialogue between SA Rugby and the government to ensure that training can gradually be retrained.
For some time now, franchised players have been conducting non-contact training in small groups, but now they should be able to go through four weeks of contact training before an encouraging resumption of national action in October.
As the Lions highlighted on Monday, for example, and is the case across all teams, mandatory Covid-19 testing for all players will need to be performed first, and the team will take to the field as soon as the results are obtained.
Of course, it remains a scenario that will require constant monitoring during the pandemic, with regular communication and relevant clarifications between SA Rugby and the government required when it comes to complying with and receiving approval for all protocols followed.
However, the good news is that October now looks like a feasible start date for the local South African competition, with the final likely to take place on January 16.
This would also allow Springbok players to participate in a full strength competition in early October, before what is expected to be a large team is called up to begin preparation for a revised Rugby Championship.
The tournament start date is set for November 7, and traveling players are expected to first go through a two-week quarantine period before the competition begins.
Importantly, South African Boks abroad participating in the English Premiership and PRO14 are already back in action, while those from France will play again in September.
Alternatively, if the Springboks are not heading to the Rugby Championship, there was talk over the weekend that they could participate in the Eight Nations competition, which is scheduled for a possible start in mid-November.
SEE ALSO: Why Boks Should Choose Eight Nations
Photo: Chris Ricco / BackpagePix
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