Rugby season set to blast off
In a massive development yesterday, SA Rugby announced that the season would finally kick off next weekend.
A double-header has been planned for the country’s top players, followed by what has been described as a best of the best “Springbok Showdown”.
While SA Rugby has yet to confirm whether the Springboks will take part in the Rugby Championship, the long-awaited season will kick-off next weekend at Loftus Versveld in the Super Hero spectacular.
That will be followed on 3 October by the Springbok Showdown, a clash between pre-selected Green and Gold teams.
Bok assistant coaches Mzwandile Stick and Deon Davids will coach the repective Springbok Green and Gold teams against one another at Newlands, while Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber would act as the two team commissioners.
To be regarded as Bok trials, the selection process will take the form of a draft pick from an enlarged squad of 60 players, with Green and Gold team bosses offered alternate turns in an oldstyle “schoolyard pick” to assemble their match-day squads of 25 players each.
The match will be screened live on SuperSport, with the enlarged squad set to be announced live on Saturday ahead of the crucial draft pick next week.
In next weekend’s clash at Loftus, the Bulls will take on the Sharks, while the Lions will face the Stomers.
The domestic competition will start on 10 October, with fixtures to be confirmed at a later stage.
At this stage, the matches will be played in empty stadiums and all Covid-19 health protocols will be in effect.
“We’re still not in a position to confirm plans for the Springboks, but it remains our wish that they play Tests this year,” said SA Rugby Chief executive Jurie Roux.
“It would not only be great to see the Rugby World Cup champions in action, but it would also give the Bok management valuable preparation for next year’s tour by the British & Irish Lions.”
In another first for South African rugby, the local competition will continue over the Christmas and New Year holiday period and culminate in semifinals (16 January) and a final on 23 January next year.
Erasmus said the clash on 3 October would be an opportunity to see the best of the best available in South Africa square off against each other.