[ad_1]
Rugby Championship Trophy (Getty Images)
SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux on Friday welcomed the announcement that Rugby championship would take place in 2020 but could not confirm the participation of defending champions South Africa.
Australia was chosen over New Zealand to host the coronavirus-hit tournament on Friday, which was originally scheduled to start in August.
The international four-cushion tournament, which also involves Argentina, will be held from November 7 to December 12.
“We are pleased that the venue has been confirmed and we would like to congratulate SANZAAR and Rugby Australia for their work behind the scenes to make it possible,” said Roux.
“We are very excited to see the Springboks play again, but there are still some hurdles to overcome and we will address them in the coming weeks.”
Roux added that there were several logistical challenges to overcome with the ban on international sporting activity still in effect. A number of player wellness issues to consider would also be the different physical conditions of the teams.
New Zealand resumed play three months ago, while Australia had been in action for 10 weeks. By contrast, South African players only resumed contact training two weeks ago.
– Compiled by Baden Gillion