Springboks receive 48-hour Rugby Championship ultimatum

11:31 am, October 14, 2020

Speculation about the participation of the World Cup champions South Africa in this year’s Australian Rugby Championship has gone to another level after the Springboks received a 48-hour ultimatum from their partners at SANZAAR.

Fears are growing that the initially agreed six-round tournament will not take place in the current format, the Springboks are concerned that their first game on November 7 against Argentina in Brisbane is too early for a team of players who have played. little or no rugby since last March. rugby strike around the world.

While New Zealand and Australian players were back in action in June and July respectively, the restart has taken much longer to occur in South Africa, where there have only been three rounds of matches so far, two weekends with Super teams. Rugby and the other as part of a Springboks test.

Updating its status, SA Rugby issued a statement that read: “SANZAAR announced overnight that following a teleconference of CEOs on Tuesday, October 13, SANZAAR member unions agreed to provide SA Rugby an additional 48 hours to finalize their internal involvement. discussions about participation.

“This will now delay the scheduled departure of the Springboks from South Africa to Australia. SANZAAR said it would 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. “

Just when you thought there could be no more disruptions in the 2020 season. #Springboks #RugbyChampionshiphttps://t.co/YDWzIKkuKV

– RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 14, 2020

Speculation about the Springboks’ involvement accelerated last weekend when SA Rugby issued an earlier statement that did not say they would definitely play in Australia, sparking speculation in recent days.

That statement read: “The Springboks ability to participate in the Rugby Championship would be finalized early next week. The team must defend their title in Australia between November 7 and December 12, but several obstacles need to be overcome to confirm this.

“The South African government lifted the ban on international sports participation a week ago and instructions for managing such participation were published on Wednesday night.”

The images show the pain New Zealand No. 8 Ardie Savea suffered to deny the Wallabies’ win in Wellington. Https://t.co/LhZ1Wdq6We

– RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 13, 2020