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- Australia will host the 2020 Rugby Championship, which kicks off on November 7.
- The Springboks’ participation in the tournament remains questionable.
- South Africa’s borders remain closed as the fight against the coronavirus crisis continues.
Australia It was collected New Zealand to house those affected by the coronavirus Rugby championship Friday, but the pandemic may prevent world champion South Africa from participating.
The international four-cushion tournament, which also involves Argentina, was originally scheduled to start in August.
But the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to rethink and make the decision to play in a single nation, given the border restrictions. Twelve games will now be played between November 7 and December 12.
All rounds except one in Queensland will be held in the southeastern state of New South Wales, where Sydney is the capital.
But South Africa’s participation is in doubt as the country continues to fight the coronavirus, with all sports competitions currently suspended.
“The participation of the Springboks will depend on the relaxation of that suspension, as well as overcoming a number of other logistical challenges, including the opening of international air borders,” said SANZAAR Executive Director Andy Marinos.
The southern hemisphere’s governing body previously said New Zealand was the preferred choice to host the tournament due to its success in containing the virus, but after months of negotiations, Australia surpassed it.
Marinos said Australia finally got the go-ahead “based on government-required quarantine protocols (for entry and pre-tournament training) and commercial underwriting.”
“The Rugby Australia presentation was the most desirable and viable in terms of tournament logistics for the essential pre-tournament preparation period and the six-week tournament itself,” he added.
Under Australia’s quarantine conditions, teams will be able to train together in large groups while in mandatory isolation for 14 days.
This was deemed important given that neither South Africa nor Argentina have resumed competitive rugby since the pandemic halted the sport earlier this year.
Australia and New Zealand are in shape after playing national Super Rugby competitions.
New Zealand’s case was also not helped by a second wave of Covid-19 in its largest city, Auckland, although it is now under control and a lockdown has been lifted.
While Australia’s Victoria state is also battling a second wave, New South Wales and Queensland are only experiencing a handful of new infections.
To make up for the loss, the All Blacks’ two Bledisloe Cup events against the Wallabies, which were to be played in Australia in October, will now be in New Zealand.
Fans are expected to be able to enter Australia. Under current New South Wales rules, venues can hold up to a quarter of normal capacity or 10,000 spectators, whichever is less.
“We are obviously disappointed by the decision not to have New Zealand host the tournament, but we understand and accept it,” said New Zealand Rugby Director Mark Robinson.
“We worked incredibly hard behind the scenes with a wide range of stakeholders, including SANZAAR and the New Zealand government, to make sure we were ready and able to host the Championship and we felt like we were.”
Details of the accessory will be revealed in the coming weeks.
“We will now strive to make these plans a reality,” said Acting Rugby Australia boss Rob Clarke, adding that the Wallabies’ postponed Trials against Ireland and Fiji that were scheduled for July will no longer continue in 2020.
Join Sport24 reporter Sibusiso Mjikeliso on Friday at 11:30 as he interviews Sport24 editor and author of Miracle men Lloyd Burnard talks about how head coach Rassie Erasmus in just 18 months turned the Bok ship around, taking them from seventh in the world to world champions. Register for the event here.
