South Africa’s participation in the four-nation event to be staged in Australia is still to be confirmed.
SANZAAR has released the draw for the Rugby Championship to be staged in Australia in November and December despite the fact that South Africa’s participation in the four-nation event is still to be confirmed.
The Springboks are scheduled to begin their defence of the title they won last year with an “away” match against Argentina in Brisbane before a “home” game against the Wallabies in Sydney.
There are 12 matches in a tournament that will take place over six weeks – from November 7-December 12 – in Brisbane, Newcastle and Sydney.
However, according to an SA Rugby statement yesterday, the Boks’ participation remains conditional on the relaxation of the South African government’s current ban on international sporting participation as well the outcome of assessments of high performance and player welfare issues.
SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux has said more than once that he will rely on the judgement of Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus and Bok coach Jacques Nienaber as to whether the country’s players would be ready for Test rugby in November after a six-month break from playing.
Sanzaar have explained that the incoming teams (Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa) will be required to observe all health regulations around their squads as imposed by the New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland governments.
The teams will be kept separate by operating within a ‘bio-bubble’ during this period with all teams operating in clean environments controlled by NSW police.
The wellness of the squads will be continually monitored in line with NSW health requirements.
Kick-off times for the double-header matches will be announced in due course.
Fixtures
Round 1: Saturday, November 7 (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane) Argentina vs South Africa, Australia vs New Zealand
Round 2: Saturday, November 14 (Bankwest Stadium, Sydney) New Zealand vs Argentina, South Africa vs Australia
Round 3: Saturday, November 21 (ANZ Stadium, Sydney) New Zealand vs South Africa, Australia vs Argentina
Round 4: Saturday, November 28 (McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle) Argentina vs Australia, South Africa vs New Zealand
Round 5: Saturday, December 5 (Bankwest Stadium, Sydney) Argentina vs New Zealand, Australia vs South Africa
Round 6: Saturday, December 12 (ANZ Stadium, Sydney) South Africa vs Argentina, Australia vs New Zealand
