SANZAAR confident of 2020 Rugby Championship

According to a report from stuff.co.nz, SANZAAR chief executive Andy Marinos appears confident that the annual Rugby Championship competition, featuring Southern Hemisphere giants South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina, can take place this year despite the significant complications caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The tournament, under normal circumstances, commences around August, however, it is clear that this will not be possible in 2020.

With the notion in mind that global travel restrictions will have opened up somewhat towards the end of the year, SANZAAR is optimistic that plans may be put in place for the competition to go ahead.

"We remain very positive about that," Marinos said.

"Obviously the biggest elephant in the room is what sort of restrictions that could come in.

"But we are certainly very positive as a group to deliver a Rugby Championship this year in whichever market we can, where we can get all the teams in and get the competition underway.

"At this stage we are looking at the back-end of October, into November and probably early December."

The Springboks are defending champions of the competition, however, with New Zealand and Australia already in full swing with Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU respectively, it will be a tough task for the men in green to reclaim the title this year as the Covid-19 situation in South Africa is such that no competitive rugby is on the cards for the foreseeable future.