‘SANZAAR alliance remains strong’ – SA Rugby boss

Planet Rugby 26 Aug 2021 6:45 AM

South Africa’s rugby boss Mark Alexander has poured cold water on suggestions there was a rift in the SANZAAR alliance.

Speaking at a Currie Cup function in South Africa, he responded to claims New Zealand’s postponement from its third Test with Australia, and the second game of the 2021 Rugby Championship, had fractured the SANZAAR relationship.

This was after South Africa had been unable to play in last year’s Rugby Championship as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last week’s decision by New Zealand, as a result of a lockdown due to an outbreak of the Delta variety of Covid, fired another round of media comments in South Africa that the world champions should look to breaking into the Six Nations tournament in the future.

But Alexander said there was no rift between the SANZAAR members.

Bigger boardroom battles

“We don’t take every argument as a rift. We have bigger battles that we fight in the boardroom,” he explained.

“We have local arguments here, but that doesn’t mean we’re fighting each other. It’s like when we have a meeting. We fight like hell in the boardroom, but when the door is open, the fight is over.

“I don’t think we should read too much into these things, and the media plays things up and blow things out of proportion.

“There isn’t a fight within the Sanzaar structures.”