Rugby: Springboks explain why they left the Rugby Championship

SA Rugby has revealed why they withdrew the Springboks from the Rugby Championship, saying participating would have threatened to “seriously endanger the well-being of the players.”

A press release from SA Rugby stated that the South African portion of what was a 46-player team was scheduled to fly out of Johannesburg on Sunday, however government regulations as currently drafted mean that it is unclear whether the team could leave legally.

Meanwhile, 24 foreign-based players, who had been identified for possible selection and for whom visas had been applied for, were at European or Japanese clubs.

SA Rugby consulted with MyPlayers, the player’s representative body, who supported the decision.

Former Springboks coach and now Rugby director Rassie Erasmus said his department had planned for each scenario.

“We found that players needed a minimum of 400 minutes of playing time before they were ready for a test match,” said Erasmus.

“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 SA players played their first competitive matches on the weekend, 29 weeks after their last competitive match at Vodacom Super Rugby. By contrast, the New Zealand and Australian players played a test match on Saturday, 17 weeks and 14 weeks respectively after resuming competitive rugby.

“It has been an extremely challenging year and what started as a two-week lockdown turned into a global crisis, one of the side effects of which has been decimating our rugby schedule,” Roux said.

“It seems impossible that the Springboks will not play a test game in 2020, but public health and safety has been the primary 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 prepare for the arrival of the British & Irish Lions in 2021.”