SA Rugby needs green light, now
● Government will need to give the green light for full-contact training early this week if SA Rugby is to launch their domestic competition in the second week of next month.
With rugby halted in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, SA Rugby had planned for a return to competition on the weekend of September 11, 12, 13.
Time to prepare players for the rigours of that competition, however, is fast running out. “We are expecting, hoping to get back on the weekend of September 12,” said Stormers coach John Dobson. “We are expecting an announcement from government and SA Rugby.”
Coaches will have to be disciplined
Dobson said though teams would be cutting it fine with only a three-week full contact build-up, it can be done. “From Monday we are looking at a three to four-week period. We have spoken to clubs like Saracens as well as the Hurricanes and the Crusaders about how they managed to return. It can be done in three weeks. It’s edgy but it seems it can be done.”
The main concern remains exposing the players to a high energy and impact environment with their bodies not fully attuned to a demanding double round of matches for the eight competing teams.
“We are not overly stressed that we will have to settle for a three-week period for contact training,” said Dobson. “We will have to be disciplined in not overplaying some players who then become fatigued and increase the risk of injury. Maybe there will be enlarged squads or we as coaches will have to be disciplined in making subs earlier just to reduce the chance of injury.
“The Bundesliga had three times the number of injuries when they rushed back on that opening weekend. Less than three weeks will put players at too much risk.”
Lions CE Rudolf Straeuli also pointed to New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aotearoa in highlighting the risks.
“Stats suggest that in derbies you have more contact. You have to be contact ready for those games. The guys tend to knock each other because of national selection.
“The stats back up the fact that you’ll have to rotate and have squad depth. Everyone is running fit. We can’t wait to get back to the contact phase again.”
Should SA Rugby not get the green light from government this week, the start of the competition may be delayed. An SA Rugby official confirmed the plan still is to play the tournament over a double round but that they may have to be flexible with the dates.
“It will be a double round, even if they play until Christmas Eve,” he said. “Everything is business unusual. That means things aren’t done the usual way.”
The sooner we start the better
Straeuli stressed that the show needs to go on, under the right conditions. “I want to play as soon as possible but that has to be linked to player welfare. The sooner we start the better for our sponsors and stakeholders. Government has to look at rugby as a sport that has won three World Cups. Our industry desperately needs this.”
For Dobson and Straeuli there are many unanswered questions. They don’t know yet if their teams will need to go into a central bio-safe bubble. “That will depend on what alert level we are at,” Straeuli ventured hesitantly.
“We don’t want to do anything that causes a delay to rugby because the industry desperately needs us to get back,” stressed Dobson.
“We will obviously need to get the green light come now!”