Springboks commit to Rugby Championship until 2030
South Africas' Eben Etzebeth and Australia's Folau Faingaa during the 2019 Castle Lager Rugby Championship, South Africa v Qantas Wallabies at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on 20 July 2019 Photo: Christiaan Kotze/BackpagePix
SANZAAR have announced that South Africa will play in the annual Rugby Championship competition, alongside Australia, Argentina and New Zealand, for the next 10 years.
There have been doubts over the Springboks’ commitment to the tournament, with some suggesting that the three-time world champions were considering to opt out and potentially join the Six Nations, but that rumour has now been quashed.
SA Rugby decided not to take part in the 2020 Rugby Championship due to travel restrictions and a lack of match practice for their players ahead of the tournament, but they have now committed from 2021 onwards.
Super Rugby future not decided
The future of Super Rugby has yet to be decided, however, with South African franchises in talks to join an expanded PRO14.
That decision came following the success of New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aotearoa and NZ Rugby’s preference to reduce the travelling, which as a result excluded South African teams from their competition moving forward.
A statement read: “The southern hemisphere rugby powers have recognised the need for change in these difficult times and have committed to an international rugby future through to 2030 that includes a restructuring of the SANZAAR entity, a brand refresh, new development initiatives and a restructuring of domestic club/provincial tournament structures.
“The Rugby Championship will continue to be the flagship of southern hemisphere rugby for the next decade and as in the past will be the key driver and pathway for the unions’ continued success at the highest levels of the game including the Rugby World Cup.
“The joint-venture members Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are committed to the Championship and to its continued evolution where future growth and expansion form part of a revised 10-year plan.”
Massive news: The world champion Springboks have committed to playing in The Rugby Championship for the next decade
Huge ✅ for Southern Hemisphere rugby and vitally important for the health of the Wallabies, All Blacks and Pumas pic.twitter.com/YCU2ANRDe0
— Christy Doran (@ChristypDoran) November 4, 2020
SANZAAR chief executive Andy Marinos was delighted with the decision of all the national governing bodies to commit to the Rugby Championship after a tumultuous past few months.
“The re-commitment by the four unions to the long term future of the international game is an important start as we embark in a new direction for both the unions and the organisation over the coming years,” Marinos said.
“This is the first of a number of announcements that will be made over the coming weeks and months as we continue to plan into 2021 and beyond. The disruption during 2020 has been significant, however, despite the numerous setbacks and the inherent complexity of our vast geographical expanse, we have managed to keep the game alive and look forward to the remainder of the revised Tri Nations to bring the curtain down on the 2020 season.
“There are some exciting times ahead for rugby in the southern hemisphere as we look to reposition our structure, competitions and future direction as an organisation.”