After the announcement that all amateur and club rugby, currently suspended across the country due to Covid regulations, would be permitted to resume on August 2 following detailed reviews by the various provincial unions on condition teams had implemented player safety, Border Rugby, through SA Rugby administrator Basil Haddad, has issued a statement.
“After consultation with all stakeholders, it was decided that all Border Rugby Union leagues/competitions will remain suspended until further notice.”
This has left clubs confused and without any knowledge or hope that there will be any club rugby this year.
Meanwhile, the minister of basic education, Angie Motshekga, published the amendments in the latest Government Gazette that school sport could resume with immediate effect.
The South African Schools Rugby Association (Sasra) announced last Friday that schools could resume their training and most will be able to play their first matches on August 25. These schools must, however, comply with their fitness and strength training before playing contact rugby.
These schools will be required to move into two weeks of focussed contact training and then a normal week of training before fronting up for their first match. If a school has stopped all training they will have to follow a return-to-play program of two weeks of fitness and strength training and another two weeks of contact training before moving into a final week of normal training. This means these schools will only be allowed to return to play by September 11.
All sports and cultural activities will, as before, take place without any spectators.
Sasralso announced that the Craven Week for high schools (U18) will be held during the October holidays from October 3 to 9 and will be sponsored and managed by SA Rugby.
“Sasra is very aware that this is a critical time of the year for matric pupils. The pupils will be between trial examinations and finals, hence the early decision to allow for responsible academic preparation. Sasra will facilitate opportunities for players to partake in supervised academic activities at night and on off days,” states the release by Noel Ingle, chairman of Sasra.
The Grant Khomo Week (U16) will also take place, but will not be sponsored by SA Rugby. The various high school associations indicated that they would host two regional weeks to provide these boys with the opportunity to play at a higher level.
