Currie Cup matches cancelled, but Bulls may be on another mission in Cape Town
The riots that have erupted in parts of South Africa since the past weekend have now also taken its toll on the weekend's Currie Cup rugby program, with two matches that were cancelled, but there are persistent rumours that the Bulls are already in Cape Town and may play two games there – against both the Springboks and the British and Irish Lions – within the next week.
Due to extraordinary circumstances, SA Rugby announced yesterday that two Carling Currie Cup Premier Division matches scheduled for this weekend will be cancelled.
The clash between the Sharks and the Pumas, scheduled for Durban on Friday, has been called off due to unrest in KwaZulu-Natal, while Saturday’s match in Kimberley between Griquas and the Blue Bulls is also off.
Tournament rules make provision for the cancellation of matches due to extraordinary circumstances and as a result, the scores in both these matches will be noted as 0-0, with all four teams awarded four log points.
The same will apply to the match that was cancelled last weekend, between the Lions and the Sharks (0-0 and four log points each).
Saturday’s match between the Lions and Cheetahs in Johannesburg will take place.
“We are living in unusual times and while it’s never ideal to have to cancel matches, we had very little other options. We would like to thank the teams, sponsors, our broadcaster and other stakeholders for working together to find solutions to our challenges,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby.
* Meanwhile, there is a lot of speculation in the corridors that the Bulls may be in action against the Springbok team in Cape Town this coming weekend. This will apparently be part of the Boks’ preparation for the first test against the touring team on 24 July.
Rekord has learned from a reliable source that the Bulls’ team is already in a bio bubble in Cape Town, after the players were in isolation due to positive Covid tests in the group. This situation caused the Bulls’ game against the British and Irish Lions, which was to take place last weekend, to be canceled.
Since last week’s announcement that the battle between the Bulls and the British and Irish Lions, which was scheduled for last Saturday, was placed “on hold”, there has also been confirmation that the Bulls’ management will apply to have this match moved to Tuesday 20 July in Cape Town. With the team definitely already in the Mother City, this match also looks like a strong possibility.
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