Rugby Championship decision looms for world champions Springboks

JOHANNESBURG – South African rugby officials could announce this week whether the Springboks world champions will compete in the 2020 Rugby Championship in Australia.

Rugby director and 2019 World Cup winning coach Rassie Erasmus told reporters that he expects a decision by October 10.

Opinions are divided on whether an inevitably ill-prepared team should play, in part to increase the coffers of a national body severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re a long way off in terms of fitness and match preparation from where we were at the World Cup,” Springbok captain Siya Kolisi admitted this week.

Rugby was restarted in South Africa just two weekends ago after a six-month suspension due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

But SA Rugby desperately needs cash and could reportedly pocket R300 million playing New Zealand, Australia and Argentina in a six-round championship.

“We have to take rugby considerations into account and also weigh potential business losses if we don’t play,” said the national body’s chief executive, Jurie Roux.

Here, AFP Sport outlines some of the reasons for and against South Africa boarding a plane to Sydney for the tournament from November 7 to December 12.

Reasons to play

• SA Rugby had to cut 1.2 billion rand from the 2020 budget due to the coronavirus and all six home tests scheduled for this year, including the annual money tour against New Zealand’s main attractions, were canceled. Australian officials have said that the costs and profits of the Rugby Championship will be shared.

• Squads of up to 46 players can be chosen, allowing Erasmus and new coach Jacques Nienaber the opportunity to test the depth of South African rugby. A national test last Saturday revealed Sharks scrum-half Sanele Nohamba as a possible future challenger to favorite Faf de Klerk and substitutes Herschel Jantjies and Cobus Reinach.

• Do the Springboks dare to enter a three-trial series against the star-studded British and Irish lions in mid-2021 without having played since defeating England in the World Cup final in Japan last November? That’s the stark reality if they choose not to participate in two events each against the All Blacks, Wallabies and Pumas.

Reasons to stay

• Erasmus and Nienaber believe that players need at least 500 minutes of playing time before they can play test rugby. The home-based Springboks cannot meet this goal given their recent return to action and can play a maximum of two more games before boarding a plane bound for Australia. A rugged national essay last Saturday exposed an understandable blur.

• It is feared that the Springboks could be humiliated by New Zealand and Australia with the memories of conceding 57 points in successive games against the All Blacks in 2016 and 2017 still fresh. The New Zealanders played again in June and the Australians in July, giving them a huge advantage over the world champions.

• Former Springboks captain Wynand Claassen believes strong national competitions will be adequate preparation for local Springboks ahead of the Lions’ long-awaited eight-game tour, with three times as many requests for tickets from South Africans for tryouts in Soweto, Cape Town and Johannesburg that could be. accommodated.

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