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Rassie Erasmus has highlighted how too many Springbok players had not reached the necessary benchmark in terms of playing time to be ready for the rugby tryout.
On Friday it was confirmed that the Springboks would not defend their Rugby Championship crown, and the tournament would revert to what is now effectively a Tri-Nations between Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.
READ: There is no choice but to withdraw Boks
It means that the Springboks will head into 2021 without any test rugby under their belt, but Erasmus said it was essential to see the big picture after the decision was confirmed.
“We found that players needed a minimum of 400 minutes of playing time before they were ready for a test match,” said Erasmus.
“The foreign players had started playing before us and would have approached that moment on November 7th.
“But many of them have completed their programs or have had outbreaks of COVID, which has interrupted planning. The Japanese players have not played any rugby, while the local players would be well under 400 minutes at kick-off.
The SA players played their first competitive matches last weekend, 29 weeks after their last competitive match at Vodacom Super Rugby.
In contrast, the New Zealand and Australian players played a test match on Saturday, 17 weeks and 14 weeks respectively after resuming competitive rugby.
Although there have been reports that SA Rugby will now suffer millions in revenue losses, CEO Jurie Roux has said that they would never compromise the well-being of the players.
“It has been an extremely challenging year and what started as a two-week lockdown turned into a global crisis, one of the side effects of which has been decimating our rugby schedule.
“ It seems impossible that the Springboks will not play a test match in 2020, but public health and safety have been the main concern and we have suffered collateral damage like so many companies.
“All we can do now is enjoy our national competitions and find ways to prepare for the arrival of the British & Irish Lions in 2021.”
COLUMN: Player welfare must take priority for Boks
Tri-Nations 2020 match schedule
Oct 31: Australia v New Zealand (ANZ Stadium, Sydney)
November 7: Australia v New Zealand (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)
November 14: New Zealand v Argentina (Bankwest Stadium, Sydney)
November 21: Argentina v Australia (McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle)
November 28: Argentina v New Zealand (McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle)
December 5: Australia v Argentina (Bankwest Stadium, Sydney)
Photo: Steve Haag / Gallo / Getty Images
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