Newlands could go out in blaze of glory

SA Rugby bosses could be planning to give Cape Town’s historic Newlands an emotional send-off by a playing a biobubble Currie Cup final there in December.

Covid-19 harpooned plans for the Boks to play a final international at the stadium in July against Scotland as rugby prepares for the 2021 move away from Newlands to the Cape Town Stadium.

When the British and Irish Lions face the Boks in 2021, the second Test of the tour will be played at the Cape Town Stadium

and not Newlands.

Bulls director of rugby Jake White let the cat out of the bag about plans to end the season during a media briefing when he suggested there could be two tournaments before the Currie Cup kicks off.

“There is a possibility there will be two bubbles,” White said.

“There is a possibility that it will be a bubble for the Super Rugby guys that are playing and the Currie Cup guys that are playing.

“Then the question becomes whether the bubble is in Gauteng, which means you can stay at home and still travel in to Loftus and play your games in Gauteng.

“Is the bubble going to be in Cape Town?

“Some people say there is a bit of a sentiment for the games to be played at Newlands with it closing down and a push to play the last games at Newlands, which I can understand the sentiment to an old rugby ground.

“That will change things because three teams will have to move to Cape Town.

“Here in the north Lions and Bulls can stay where they are, and only two teams come into the bubble, whereas if we all go to Durban or Cape Town then there are three teams that need to travel.”

White said the proposal would see the four non-Super Rugby franchises — the Cheetahs, Pumas, Griquas and Southern Kings, play in a competition, while the Super Rugby franchises battle it out.

Then, after the Boks leave for the Rugby Championship in New Zealand, all eight teams would play in a competition that would be better than one competition where the Boks leave halfway through.

“Then the Boks leave and then there is almost an advantage for the other teams to play the bigger teams without their Springboks, and that makes it a very interesting Currie Cup,” White added.

“It is not great if you lose half your team to the Springboks, but if you are a smaller union, it is quite a nice thing to know you play each other and then, when the Boks go, you get a crack at all the Super Rugby teams.”

News that rugby is set for a restart was gazetted last week and allows for a return to competitive action subject to compliance with strict Covid-19 measures.

There is a possibility that it will be a bubble for the Super Rugby guys that are playing and the Currie Cup guys that are playing