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By Reuters 
4h ago
SYDNEY – World champions Springboks were given 48 hours to resolve internal issues and confirm their participation in the Rugby Championship, governing body Sanzaar said Wednesday.
The southern hemisphere championship, which also includes Australia, New Zealand and Argentina, will be held entirely in Australia this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
SA Rugby said last weekend that “several hurdles” needed to be cleared before they could confirm the Springboks’ involvement and that they expected to make a decision earlier this week.
With the tournament scheduled to begin in Sydney on October 31 and the Springboks scheduled to play their first game against Argentina on November 7, however, time is running out to get the players to Australia and quarantine them.
“Sanzaar’s member unions agreed to provide South Africa Rugby an additional 48 hours to finalize their internal discussions with stakeholders,” Sanzaar said in a statement.
“This will now delay the scheduled departure of the Springboks from South Africa to Australia.
“Sanzaar will provide an update on the resolution of these discussions and a schedule for the Springboks participation in the Rugby Championship when it becomes available in the coming days.”
The delay in the departure of the South African players means the match schedule looks almost certain to change, but Sanzaar said the Tests between Australia and New Zealand on October 31 and November 7 would go ahead as planned.
The South African government lifted the ban on international sports participation earlier this month, but SA Rugby said it was seeking further clarification on the regulations.
There has been widespread concern in the South African rugby community that its players are far from being prepared for the intensity of the competition.
South African rugby returned to action just two weeks ago after a lengthy Covid-19 lockdown and the national Super Rugby competition kicked off last weekend.
New Zealand and Australia, by contrast, have already completed their Super Rugby competitions and played a test of the Bledisloe Cup in Wellington last weekend, drawing 16-16.
The Pumas team is already training in a biosecurity bubble in Sydney despite several players and coach Mario Ledesma testing positive for Covid-19 during their preparatory camp in Argentina.
Reuters
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