SA Rugby gets green light for return to play
Play should start in September with the structure of competition yet to be announced
The government has approved the return-to-play conditions for professional rugby in the country amid the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing for the domestic competition to start in the first two weeks of September.
SA Rugby confirmed that their plans, which include playing games behind closed doors, have been approved and published on Thursday.
“We are very grateful for the opportunity to move to the next phase of our return-to-play plans,” SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux said in a media release.
“At this stage, we hope to have our first matches by early to mid-September and our plans on the structure of the planned competition will be announced in due course, as we have various options to consider.”
SA’s Super Rugby and Pro14 teams have been inactive since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With travel and quarantine regulations still in place, the teams have previously touted an eight-team local season to replace those competitions for sponsors and broadcasters.
SA Rugby is also keen to see their leading players back in action as they look towards the proposed Rugby Championship set to be staged in New Zealand starting in November.
The World Cup-winning Springboks are also the holders of the southern hemisphere Rugby Championship.
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