DURBAN - South Africa’s rugby players had hoped to return to training yesterday, but this did not happen because SA Rugby is still waiting for a green light from the SA government.
The SA Rugby model for a return to rugby is a remodelled Currie Cup that will begin on 29 August and culminate in a final on 12 December. 6 July was the date on the table for the resumption of training, but this has been delayed. Sharks chief financial officer Eduard Coetzee says he expects clarification early this week.
“SA Rugby has submitted its documentation to the government, but they have not yet received final feedback. Hopefully in the next few days we will know where we stand,” Coetzee said. “Obviously we won’t jump the gun with training, so the guys will continue training on their own, and in this stage of the lockdown they at least have more training options available to them (they are not confined to their homes and can go out to run).
“It is frustrating, though, not knowing where we are in terms of whether this proposed competition will take place in a bio-bubble (Potchefstroom and Nelspruit are the leading contenders) or whether we will be allowed to travel for games. There is a lot of planning that needs to be done...”
Meanwhile, two of South Africa’s Sanzaar partners are up and running. New Zealand have now played three rounds of Super Rugby Aotearoa in front of capacity crowds and, at the weekend, Super Rugby AU got under way before lesser crowds that had enforced social distancing, and Coetzee believes that the Australian model has merits for SA.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/BluesRugbyTeam?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BluesRugbyTeamhad a bye & @crusadersrugby leap-frog them into first spot as @hurricanesrugby got off the mark against @ChiefsRugby
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Full table: https://t.co/pNjNFMdhvt #SuperRugbyAotearoa #SuperRugby25years pic.twitter.com/ysrmhUzLg2
— Super Rugby/TRC (@SuperRugby)
“I have been reluctant to watch those games in Australasia out of pure envy,” Coetzee joked before adding more seriously: “I did notice how in the Reds versus Waratahs game at Suncorp Stadium (in Brisbane) they had designated empty seats between spectators. That would work in South Africa given we have big stadiums, so spacing out fans wouldn’t be an issue. Maybe that is something we can look at.”
Coetzee and his counterparts across SA are in the meantime doing their best to finalise their squads not just before the new Currie Cup - that will comprise of the four Super Rugby teams plus the Cheetahs, Kings, Pumas and Griquas - but especially for Super Rugby next year.
However, Coetzee said that it is a complicated process because player contracts typically end on 31 November (the historical end of the rugby season), but now there is a Currie Cup that is going to go past that date into December.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/BrumbiesRugby?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrumbiesRugbylay down an early marker as @Reds_Rugby break 11-match drought against @NSWWaratahs
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— Super Rugby/TRC (@SuperRugby)
On the subject of player contracts, Coetzee said that there is a slight possibility of former Sharks, Saracens and England centre Brad Barritt doing a full circle and completing his career in Durban.
“We have spoken to Brad ... He is still finishing up in England and there is a small chance of him rejoining us. The problem is that it is not a good time to be spending a lot of money. We must be careful about the message we send out,” Coetzee said.