Rugby Championship in new doubts after six Pumas test positive for Covid-19

As if there weren’t enough obstacles in the way to establish the Rugby Championship in 2020, another has emerged in the form of positive tests for Covid-19.

The Argentine Rugby Union has announced that six of the players on its national team have tested positive for the virus and have been isolated, casting further doubt on the already unlikely Rugby Championship.

“After completing a new round of PCR tests, in order to minimize the risk of contagion and to be able to start the health bubble, the results showed six positive cases of Covid-19 on campus,” the union said in a statement .

“All of them asymptomatic and already fulfilling the preventive isolation. The players are Juan Cruz Mallía, Emiliano Boffelli, Bautista Delguy, Rodrigo Fernández Criado, Bautista Pedemonte and Lucas Bur”.

This year’s testing schedule, including the Rugby Championship fate, is not expected to be finalized until next week. However, it seems almost certain that the competition will not be able to continue, despite the confidence of Sanzaar CEO Andy Marinos.

The hope has been to establish a New Zealand-based competition to be played in November and December, with the Wallabies, Springboks and Pumas traveling to New Zealand to play.

That in itself caused some problems, and Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber recently suggested his players needed at least six weeks of Currie Cup football, which doesn’t start until the end of September, to get in shape for rugby. international.

However, if the Springboks were to compete in the proposed Championship from November 7 to December 12, they would have to leave South Africa by October 18.

There is the additional problem that the New Zealand government will not allow multiple teams to quarantine at the same time or train while on their 14-day lockdown.

The All Blacks are expected to play the first two tryouts of Ian Foster’s reign in Queensland in early October, a schedule that would require a one-month quarantine period, while Western Australia has emerged as a possible option to host the Championship of Rugby in case New Zealand is not suitable.

However, with the resurgence of Covid-19 in New Zealand and the ongoing fight against the virus in Australia, any plans to host the lengthy competition would be heavily scrutinized by the respective governments.