Springboks to confirm on Friday they are boycotting the Rugby Championship

4:56 pm, October 15, 2020

SA Rugby remains silent on whether or not the Springboks will play in next month’s Rugby Championship in Australia following a report from the New Zeland Herald that they will withdraw and boycott the event.

A statement from SA Rugby read: “A SA Rugby spokesperson said that speculation had been observed in the media that the Springboks were to be withdrawn from the Rugby Championship.

“However, I would not comment on the reports until SANZAAR has updated all interested parties through official channels, which was expected to be on Friday.”

Fears that world champions Springboks would not defend their Rugby Championship title were accelerated last weekend when SA Rugby said they would take their time to consider all the protocols involved in traveling to the tournament where they are supposed to face Argentina in Brisbane on November 7. .

That concern was deepened when it emerged on Tuesday that SANZAAR gave SA Rugby a 48-hour ultimatum to definitively decide whether or not it would participate in the six-round tournament that runs through early December.

To the cable https://t.co/QTgpFjOmDc

– RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 14, 2020

There is anxiety in South African rugby circles about the disadvantage the Springboks would face in the tournament. While the New Zealand and Australian players returned to action in June and July respectively, the restart has taken much longer to occur in South Africa.

So far there have only been three rounds of matches, two weekends with the Super Rugby teams and the other as part of a Springboks tryout.

SA Rugby’s statement on the Tuesday following the 48-hour deadline read: “SANZAAR announced overnight that following a teleconference of CEOs on Tuesday, October 13, SANZAAR member unions agreed to provide SA Rugby an additional 48 hours to finalize your internal stakeholder discussions about participation.

“This will now delay the scheduled departure of the Springboks from South Africa to Australia. SANZAAR said it would provide an update on the resolution of these discussions and a schedule for the Springboks’ participation in the Rugby Championship when it becomes available in the coming days. “

South Africa’s refusal to participate will cost each of the four nations millions of dollars in lost broadcast revenue. SANZAAR had reportedly even revised the original game schedule to allow Springboks players to participate in more club games at home before departure, but even that hasn’t put them at ease.

Instead, the South Africans officially notified SANZAAR of their decision not to participate on Thursday and an official announcement is expected on Friday.

Another setback for Ian Foster https://t.co/O5t0TqvHQc

– RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 15, 2020