Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Another worrying Lions sign: South African grassroots rugby grinds to complete halt

(Photo by Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)

Further indications of how serious the concern is about the pandemic in South Africa with the Lions having just arrived for their eight-game, three-Test tour is how all grassroots level rugby has been cancelled even though the government had granted an allowance for it to continue. 

ADVERTISEMENT

There is speculation that the Lions tour will get switched to Cape Town and take it away from the Gauteng region which is at the epicentre of growing concerns about the virus. The touring Lions are set to open their South Africa tour in Johannesburg this Saturday against the former Super Rugby Lions while the Springboks have returned to training ahead of their match versus Georgia following an outbreak in their camp.

In the meantime, amateur levels of rugby in the country have shut up shop. A media release on Tuesday read: “SA Rugby have commended its 14 member unions for proactively halting all forms of club and amateur rugby in the wake of the current third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic that has gripped South Africa.

Video Spacer

RugbyPass gives a taste of grassroots rugby in South Africa in Rugby Explorer

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 42:45
Loaded: 0.39%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 42:45
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
    • en (Main), selected
    Video Spacer

    RugbyPass gives a taste of grassroots rugby in South Africa in Rugby Explorer

    “SA Rugby advised that provincial competitions such as the Currie Cup (Premier and First Divisions), as well as the Women’s Premier and First Divisions, as well as the U20s international series, will continue with strict adherence to all relevant protocols and that changes to the schedule will be made if necessary.”

    Jurie Roux, the SA Rugby CEO, added: “Even though the Government Gazette allows for club rugby to continue, all provincial unions have halted club and amateur rugby proactively and we are very grateful of this approach of safety first.

    “I want to compliment all the role players, including the administrators, coaches and players, for taking responsibility to halt club and amateur rugby due to the resurgence of Covid-19 in recent weeks.

    “Ultimately, the health, safety and wellbeing of our players, coaches, officials and others comes first. We will reassess the situation after July 11, even though most of the club leagues have already been halted beyond that date.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    ADVERTISEMENT

    HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Men's Highlights

    HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Women's Highlights

    Jet Lag: The biggest challenge facing international sports? | The Report

    Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

    Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry? | New Zealand & Australia | Sevens Wonders | Episode 5

    Kobelco Kobe Steelers vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

    The Rise of Kenya | The Report

    The Fixture: How This Rugby Rivalry Has Lasted 59 Years

    Trending on RugbyPass

    Comments

    0 Comments
    Be the first to comment...

    Join free and tell us what you really think!

    Sign up for free
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Latest Features

    Comments on RugbyPass

    M
    MelodyKaitlyn3 41 minutes ago
    What Newcastle 'can’t legislate for' as they face fellow basement dwellers

    As a retired doc, I never thought I'd get scammed, especially not out of a whopping $98,000 in Bitcoin, thanks to a terrible forex deal. It was a crazy, hard-to-believe ordeal that left me financially drowned and lost. Realizing I'd seemingly lost all my savings was, to put it mildly, a lot to handle. But, amidst all this financial chaos, hope was restored when I found reviews about META TECH RECOVERY PRO. This sad ordeal started with what looked like a mouth-watering investment. Unfortunately, it was an existing organized fraud scheme, I only realized that after getting in touch with META TECH RECOVERY PRO. The truth hit me hard, and I was left dealing with the fallout, clueless about what to do. The digital world's complexity and the tricky process of getting back lost money made me feel helpless. Luckily, while looking for answers, I saw reviews raving about the skills of META TECH RECOVERY PRO's hackers. Out for a solution, I decided to contact them. The reviews talked about how they helped people like me recover lost Bitcoin investments. With a mix of doubt and hope, I figured I'd give it a try, thinking there might be a chance to get back what I'd lost. In no time, they showed off their digital skills by successfully getting back all my lost funds. I can't even begin to describe how grateful and relieved I felt. Having META TECH RECOVERY PRO on my side was amazing and super helpful. If you, like me, have been ripped off by fake forex brokers and scammers, it's good to know that META TECH RECOVERY PRO is there to help. Their expertise, reliability, and dedication to helping those who've been scammed online are truly impressive. I think having them in your corner gives you a sense of security and a way to get back what's rightfully yours. I wholeheartedly recommend META TECH RECOVERY PRO to anyone who needs help getting back what was stolen from them. for help via.

    M e t a t e c h @ W r i t e m e. C o m

    W / S  +1 4 6 9 6 9 2 8 0 4 9

    THANK YOU.

    0 Go to comments
    M
    MelodyKaitlyn3 1 hour ago
    Blues lose All Black for season ahead of Hurricanes derby

    As a retired doc, I never thought I'd get scammed, especially not out of a whopping $98,000 in Bitcoin, thanks to a terrible forex deal. It was a crazy, hard-to-believe ordeal that left me financially drowned and lost. Realizing I'd seemingly lost all my savings was, to put it mildly, a lot to handle. But, amidst all this financial chaos, hope was restored when I found reviews about META TECH RECOVERY PRO. This sad ordeal started with what looked like a mouth-watering investment. Unfortunately, it was an existing organized fraud scheme, I only realized that after getting in touch with META TECH RECOVERY PRO. The truth hit me hard, and I was left dealing with the fallout, clueless about what to do. The digital world's complexity and the tricky process of getting back lost money made me feel helpless. Luckily, while looking for answers, I saw reviews raving about the skills of META TECH RECOVERY PRO's hackers. Out for a solution, I decided to contact them. The reviews talked about how they helped people like me recover lost Bitcoin investments. With a mix of doubt and hope, I figured I'd give it a try, thinking there might be a chance to get back what I'd lost. In no time, they showed off their digital skills by successfully getting back all my lost funds. I can't even begin to describe how grateful and relieved I felt. Having META TECH RECOVERY PRO on my side was amazing and super helpful. If you, like me, have been ripped off by fake forex brokers and scammers, it's good to know that META TECH RECOVERY PRO is there to help. Their expertise, reliability, and dedication to helping those who've been scammed online are truly impressive. I think having them in your corner gives you a sense of security and a way to get back what's rightfully yours. I wholeheartedly recommend META TECH RECOVERY PRO to anyone who needs help getting back what was stolen from them. for help via.


    THANK YOU.

    3 Go to comments
    M
    Mzilikazi 2 hours ago
    Matt Faessler: ‘To be involved in a home World Cup would be just next level’

    Thanks for the article, Brett. I must say I am disappointed that the Reds have lost both games against the two top teams from NZ they have played so far this year. I feel they should be more advanced under Les Kiss and his coaching team in what is now the second year of tenure.


    The lineout, which you highlight in the article, is an obvious standout. Matt Faessler is shaping as a standout finisher of mauls, but that ability is wasted if the throw/lift/catch element is a shambles.


    Also very disappointing so often is the ability to spread the ball wide using the “out the back” type passes well. Just watch Scotland, even currently weak Wales, to see the level of sophistication in this area that can be achieved.


    In the final analysis, the breakdown work is not as good as all the NZ sides achieve with apparent ease. Their scrum halves so often have an “armchair ride” compared to our 9’s, who deal with slow and often scrappy ball. And I would say this applies to all our Australian sides, not only the Reds.


    Not being one eyed on Qld, I am also disappointed to see the Waratahs not performing as one would have hoped, given the strength of their roster now. Ofc, one must also look at the injury toll effect on all teams.


    And there is no question, on the positive side of this years competition, how very competitive all teams can be on their day. Mona Pacifica are looking more than just competitive now, but the Highlanders are are much better team than last year, as are the Force.


    I find the background bits on players great reading always. and your recounting of Matt Faessler’s grandfather’s exploits is just up my street. Keep writing for us, please !!

    3 Go to comments
    LONG READ
    LONG READ 'There appears little prospect of change at the top in Europe. That should be a concern to all’ 'There appears little prospect of change at the top in Europe. That should be a concern to all’
    Search