Sanzaar CEO Andy Marinos has proposed a radical idea that could have the Rugby Championship and Vodacom Super Rugby run concurrently to ensure a finish to both seasons.
The 2020 Super Rugby season was stopped after seven rounds, following the trend of tournaments across the globe due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Historically, Super Rugby has led into the Rugby Championship – and formerly the Tri-Nations – ensuring each team had their internationals before the start of the Test window.
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However, as the coronavirus pandemic has thrown the rugby calendar into turmoil, Marinos suggested an outside-the-box solution to ensure that both the Championship and Super Rugby are played to their conclusions.
‘Could you be playing the Rugby Championship at the same time as a domestic competition?’ Marinos posed during an interview with Newshub.
‘It’s not trying to rubbish one for the other, it’s how do we get a sensible solution in what may be a restricted time frame?’
If that scenario does take place, it would have the Super Rugby teams playing the rest of the season without their Springbok, Wallabies and All Blacks internationals.
Marinos added that Sanzaar could also follow the National Rugby League’s lead with regard to the Championship and play out a competition based around one area, if border controls allow it.
The NRL has suggested that the teams could finish the tournament, all based in Sydney.
‘Logic would suggest if there is an ability to create like what we’ve seen with the NRL around a bubble, if it’s all in one location it seems a bit easier. At this point in time, we’d be silly to rule out anything.’
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Meanwhile, Sanzaar is still considering a domestic finish to Super Rugby – with the Jaguares based in South Africa and Sunwolves in Australia.
‘We are hell bent and have every intention of delivering the complete package,’ Marinos added.
Photo: Gallo Images
