South Africans will now be permitted to watch their favourite rugby teams live, as early as November. This comes after the gazetting of new regulations by the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa.
However, this does extend to school rugby matches, which fall under the sponsorship of the Department of Basic Education. A statement released by SA Rugby says that although a maximum of 2 000 spectators will be granted access to enter rugby venues it will provide guidelines to assist with the management and implementation of the entry protocols to ensure the safe return of fans as SA Rugby pledged itself to support the Government’s vaccination drive.
According to the SA Rugby CEO, Jurie Roux, the governing body was in full support of the government’s drive to accelerate mass vaccinations thereby allowing society to return to normality while ensuring that rugby was not the cause of the further spreading of the virus.
“This is very welcome news and the first step to returning to having the freedom to sell out venues on special occasions once again. It is 19 months since a fan was last allowed in a rugby stadium and this is the light at the end of the tunnel that our sport has desperately needed,” Roux said.
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Roux said further SA Rugby trust that this initial allowance will increase speedily as the impact of the vaccination programme and the experience in other territories points to a further relaxation of restrictions.
Meanwhile, provincial unions will be responsible for ensuring that the union, clubs and their affiliated bodies adhere strictly to the directions stipulated in the Government Gazette.
Speaking of provincial unions SA Rugby has also advised the Western Province Rugby that it is invoking its constitutional power to take administrative control of the Union, with experienced former SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer appointed as administrator.
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Picture: Cape{town}etc gallery