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Bull patron Duane Vermeulen (Gallo Images)
- The Bulls have once again reiterated that South Africa’s rugby unions would not be in a position to complete the national program in a bio-bubble.
- As a result, the franchise relies on its isolated players to trade time with their families over Christmas by doing so responsibly after last week’s outbreak.
- CEO Edgar Rathbone believes that players are mentally well prepared to deal with the current situation.
As Proteas settle in a bio-bubble on Irene for nearly three weeks, the hierarchy of nearby Loftus reiterated once again that a similar arrangement for the Currie Cup is simply not feasible.
The Bulls are the latest local rugby team to have been hampered by Covid-19 after a “substantial” number of players and team management tested positive for the virus last week.
Following the cancellation of their game against Griquas last weekend, they will now only meet their decisive game against the Lions, initially scheduled for Saturday, January 6.
As SA Rugby and its major unions continue to fight to host an unaffected national tournament, questions have been raised as to whether the Currie Cup match should take place in a safe environment.
“The problem is, first of all, we can’t get into a bio-bubble on our own,” Edgar Rathbone, the Bulls boss, said Tuesday.
“A week later, you’re exposed to rival teams that weren’t in a similar environment. If you’re going to create a biobubble, you’ll have to have all the teams inside to be really effective.”
The Premier Soccer League’s six-week biologically safe environment earlier this year, the only reason the 2019/20 season could be completed, cost a staggering R100 million.
Given that the local rugby industry already had to accept a R1.2 billion cost saving initiative in April, there is simply no way that severely compromised finances from unions can help fund a similar initiative.
The Bulls then rely on players and management to exercise due care in their period of isolation before their next round of testing on Sunday.
“All the equipment is isolated at home, which makes it easier to control the infection,” Rathbone said.
“They will not have contact with other people outside of their families and we hope that being able to spend Christmas with their families means that they can return recharged and renewed.
“It’s obviously not ideal, but it has given the bodies some time to recover. I suppose there will be a risk of extended families increasing exposure, but it is what it is.”
Meanwhile, the hiatus in preparation could refresh Jake White’s charges after the recent loss to the Sharks or put them down.
But Rathbone points out that that’s the name of the game in these uncertain times.
“There is a bit of an intermittent nature to this whole situation. But we knew from the beginning that it was not going to be a normal campaign. There would be disruptions,” he said.
“I think the players were mentally prepared for those kinds of setbacks and we have (mental coach) Dr. Henning Gericke, who has done a great job in that regard.
“We could also have to prepare two teams for the two games to be closely watched, but the results will have to take care of themselves.”
