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Siya Kolisi (Getty Images)
- The Springboks have withdrawn from the 2020 Rugby Championship.
- SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux says they cannot send a Bok team “without seriously compromising the well-being of the players.”
- The competition, to be held in Australia, will be reduced from 12 matches to six.
SA Rugby and Sanzaar officially confirmed Friday morning that the Springboks will not participate in this year Rugby championship.
The decision had been expected from Wednesday, when the regional body gave SA Rugby an “additional” 48 hours to provide final confirmation of its participation.
“Sanzaar and Rugby Australia have done everything they can to make the Rugby Championship happen and it would have been unfair to them, their partners and the state government to delay a decision any longer,” said Jurie Roux, executive director of the federation, in a release.
“This is a hugely disappointing result for supporters and business partners, but the continued impacts of the pandemic across multiple dispensations mean we cannot deliver a Springbok kit without seriously compromising the well-being of the players, apart from other logistical challenges.”
The national coaching staff, headed by rugby director Rassie Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber, had previously stated that their players needed at least 400 to 500 minutes of playing time to compete realistically from a conditioning perspective.
Yet vital players such as Siya Kolisi, Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe have barely played more than 80 minutes since the local rugby restart.
MyPlayers, the local representative body for SA professional players, supported SA Rugby’s course of action.
“We calculated that the players needed a minimum of 400 minutes of playing time before they could be ready for a test match,” Erasmus said.
“The foreign players had started playing before us and would have approached that time by November 7.
“But many of them have completed their programs or had Covid outbreaks, which has interrupted planning. Japanese players have not played any rugby, while local players would be well under 400 minutes by the time of kicking. initial.”
The challenge of assembling a group of 24 players overseas was possibly the biggest given that they would have been crucial to the Boks’ challenge due to their superior matchmaking aptitude.
“Players in England, Ireland, France and Japan are subject to different local regulations and travel protocols and potentially imminent renewed closures in some territories,” he said.
“It was unclear when they could become active members of the Springbok team in Australia.
“We understand that public safety concerns come first and there is no way we can hope that shortcuts will be found to get them out of their host countries and into the Springbok bubble. But the impact on our planning was profound and took us to the bottom line that we could not, in fairness, commit ourselves to being able to compete “.
Sanzaar, on paper at least, was philosophical about the withdrawal from South Africa.
“Covid is just a gift that keeps on giving! Naturally, it is extremely disappointing that the Springboks, due to the continuing complexities of operating in and around this Covid environment, cannot fully compete in the previously planned six-round Rugby Championship.
“With that said, it now presents us with a unique opportunity, in this our 25th year, to close 2020 with a full-blown Three Nations Competition,” said Andy Marinos, CEO of Sanzaar.
The decision will cost the four nations – SA, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina – millions in lost revenue, supposedly up to R300 million, although SA Rugby is understood to be confident of the financial windfall from the upcoming British and Irish Lions tour. year to make up.
“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 be prepared for the arrival of the British & Irish Lions in 2021, “said Roux.
Revised Rugby Championship Draw:
October 31 – Australia v New Zealand at ANZ Stadium in Sydney
November 7: Australia v New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane
November 14 – New Zealand v Argentina at Sydney’s Bankwest Stadium
November 21 – Australia v Argentina at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle
November 28 – Argentina v New Zealand at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle
December 5 – Argentina v Australia at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney
