SA rugby CEO Jurie Roux welcomed news from the South African Government that rugby has been given the green light to return to the playing field, under certain conditions.
The news was gazetted by Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa yesterday and allows for a return to competitive action subject to compliance with measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The directions stipulate that contact training, and matches can be played in empty stadiums, with only limited people allowed to attend games as part of essential services to make these events possible and from within a “bio safe environment”.
And Roux says: “Since the start of this pandemic, we have been working hard at ensuring we get back on the field and we’ve kept the government informed on our plans throughout the process.
“We are very grateful for the opportunity to move to the next phase of our return-to-play plans and will provide the department with all the necessary information required, such as venues for matches, to ensure a smooth transition to competitive rugby.
“Having said that, our eight franchise teams that returned to the training field recently still need a few more weeks of preparation before they will be ready for matches, and from SA Rugby’s side we will assist them with whatever is necessary.
“At this stage, we hope to have our first matches by early to mid-September and our plans on the structure of the competition will be announced in due course, as we have various options.”
The Bulls, Lions, Sharks, Stormers, Cheetahs, Kings, Griquas and Pumas have all started with non- contact training already.