Mini World Cup beckons for Boks
SA v England rerun at Twickenham possible if November Tests canned
Plans are being drawn up which could see the World Champion Springboks strutting their stuff in a hastily arranged mini World Cup at Twickenham later this year.
An eight-team international “festival of rugby” in London could be played in September or October, with the Six Nations sides joined by SA and Japan.
With uncertainty about the scheduled north vs south November Tests going ahead, officials are scrambling to prepare contingencies.
One of those being considered is a one-off event involving two pools of four leading countries, with the possibility of round-robin fixtures and a final taking place at Twickenham.
The preference of all unions is to proceed with the matches which have already been organised, including England’s four-match campaign in November against New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga and Australia.
However, the quest for fallback options has created an intriguing alternative proposal of a mini World Cup.
If a mini World Cup gets off the ground, it would be a huge money-spinner for unions feeling the pinch because of the financial fallout caused by Covid-19.
A rerun of the 2019 World Cup final between England and Siya Kolisi’s Boks in front of 80,000 fans at Twickenham would be a huge boost for the game.
England Rugby Football Union CEO Bill Sweeney has confirmed one of the fallback plans involves a “home and away” Six Nations, starting in
November and ending in the usual February-March slot.
“There’s another option of possibly bringing in additional invitational sides.
“It’s an opportunity to be creative and maybe create some type of festival of rugby,” Sweeney said.
His comments sparked speculation that the Six Nations would be joined by two Barbarians-type sides.
Insiders, however, say the Boks and Japan could participate, which would be a crowdpuller.
It would pit the European elite against the world champion Springboks and Jamie Joseph’s Brave Blossoms, who were a box-office hit at their home World Cup in 2019.
Earlier this year, Bay rugby fans suffered a big blow when a historic first visit by Georgia to play the Springboks at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on July 18 was postponed.
This was after World Rugby announced that all international rugby matches during the 2020 July window had been postponed due to government and health agency Covid-19 directives.
The decision meant the 2020 Castle Lager Incoming Series between the Springboks and Scotland, as well as the Springboks’ historic Test against Georgia, were postponed.
The Springboks were scheduled to play Scotland in a twogame home Test series in Cape Town (July 4, Newlands) and Durban (July 11, Kings Park), while the first-ever match between the Boks and Georgia on SA soil was pencilled in for Port Elizabeth.
It had been expected that a capacity crowd of 45,000 would fill the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to welcome the
Boks to Port Elizabeth in their first match in the city since winning the World Cup.
“This is a huge blow but we all knew this was coming because of Covid-19,” EP Rugby president Andre Rademan said.
“Now we are looking to stage a Test next year in Port
Elizabeth when things return to normal.
“Everyone is facing challenges at this time and it is vital that we all stay positive in the current climate.
“The Boks will return to PE next year for a Test and it will be a special occasion,” Rademan said.