The 2023 Rugby World Cup will kick off with a mouth-watering Pool A clash between hosts France and three-time champions New Zealand, organisers said on Friday.
The Springboks' World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi has ended his 11-year stay with South Africa's Stormers and is expected to be unveiled by the Durban-based Sharks in the coming week.
Rugby Australia has reaffirmed interest in hosting the Springboks and Lions for a series, but only after the governing body has set in stone the Wallabies' series against France.
Rugby Australia [RA] chairman Hamish McLennan continues to push the nation's credibility of staging events during the coronavirus pandemic, suggesting the British & Irish Lions' tour of South Africa could instead be contested Down Under.
Argentina Rugby Union (UAR) President Marcelo Rodriguez has been appointed SANZAAR chairman for the next 12 months to replace Brent Impey, the southern hemisphere body said on Friday following its first Executive Committee meeting of 2021.
South Africa are open to "all options" to play the British & Irish Lions and are willing to travel to the United Kingdom to make sure the series goes ahead, director of rugby Rassie Erasmus said on Monday.
The British and Irish Lions will discuss this month whether to visit South Africa because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rugby World Cup-holders South Africa have been drawn with Ireland for the 2023 competition while New Zealand are paired with France, England are in the same pool as Japan and Argentina.
England will host world champions South Africa at Twickenham during their 2021 Autumn International series, a rematch of the 2019 Rugby World Cup final in Japan.
SANZAAR say they are open to hosting the Rugby Championship in a centralised location again after this year's edition was reduced to three teams and played entirely in Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
South African rugby players and officials have been cautioned to practise strict COVID-compliance measures to minimise the risk of infection, after a third Super Rugby Unlocked fixture was cancelled.
The South African Rugby Union has reaffirmed its commitment to the Rugby Championship for the next decade, tournament organisers SANZAAR said on Wednesday.
The world champion Springboks have officially withdrawn from the Rugby Championship, leaving just Australia, New Zealand and Argentina to challenge for the 2020 title.
The Springboks are scheduled to play their first Rugby Championship Test against Argentina on Nov. 7, hence time is running out to get the players into Australia and through quarantine.
SANZAAR has given the world champion Springboks a 48-hour deadline to resolve their internal issues and confirm their participation in the Rugby Championship.
The draw for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France will take place in Paris on Dec. 14 using seedings based on the world rankings taken after last year's tournament, organisers said on Friday.
New Zealand Rugby doubled down on Thursday on their insistence they had not agreed to the southern hemisphere's Rugby Championship extending into six weeks and leaving the All Blacks stuck in quarantine over the Christmas break.
Siya Kolisi will captain a team in the Springbok Showdown, 10 months after leading South Africa to glory in the Rugby World Cup final.
Springboks, Blitzboks and Junior Boks players have been named in two 25-man squads for the Springbok Showdown to be played at Newlands in Cape Town on Oct. 3.
Andy Marinos, chief executive of SANZAAR, the organisers of Super Rugby and the Rugby Championship, denies the provincial championship "will never look the same again" if more South African teams join the PRO14.
New Zealand Rugby has expressed its "disappointment" at the Rugby Championship schedule released on Thursday morning, confirming it had not agreed to the fixture list approved by SANZAAR.
Southern Kings have debts of R55 million ($3.37 million) and no chance of generating any income this year.
South Africa second-row Lood de Jager has been ruled out for up to six months with a recurrence of the shoulder injury that forced him out of last year's Rugby World Cup final.
South Africa's domestic rugby season will finally kick into full gear when a seven-team competition starts on Oct. 10, ending a seven-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
South Africa fly-half Handre Pollard faces "several months" on the sidelines after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligaments while playing for French Top14 side Montpellier on Friday.
| Rugby Championship | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Team | GP | PD | P |
| 1 | South Africa | 3 | +51 | 12 |
| 2 | Australia | 3 | +9 | 8 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 3 | -17 | 6 |
| 4 | Argentina | 3 | -43 | 2 |
