The dates for the Currie Cup semi-finals and final have been pushed back by one week due to Covid-19 precautionary measures.
The changes were made to ensure the integrity of the tournament and allow the participants to manage Covid-19 challenges.
This comes after Western Province vs Sharks game scheduled for Newlands on Saturday was called off due to multiple positive Covid-19 tests in the Sharks camp.
The Currie Cup final will now take place on Saturday 30 January, with the two semi-finals – which will see the Bulls host the Lions in Pretoria and the Sharks travelling to Cape Town to face Province – now scheduled for Saturday 23 January.
SA Rugby have also confirmed that the final two matches in the regular season will definitely play out in Kimberley and Nelspruit this weekend.
‘The integrity of the Carling Currie Cup was key in our discussions and the communication and co-operation between the four teams in the semi-finals is appreciated,’ said SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus.
‘During the season teams affected by COVID-19 also had options to move their matches if they could agree on an alternative date – such as the recent clash between the Vodacom Bulls and the Xerox Lions – even though it didn’t always materialise.
‘We’ve agreed to move out the dates of the semi-finals and the final by a week to give all the teams the best possible chance to be ready for their matches, bearing in mind we did not have the option to move it out by weeks.
‘I would like to thank the semi-finalists for their co-operation in ensuring that we can see the season play out the way it should – in spite of these challenging times – with a champion being crowned in the next few weeks,’ Erasmus added.
Should a team not be able to participate in the semi-final because of COVID-19 infections, that team will forfeit the match and the opposing team will progress to the final.
If neither team is able to compete, the side with the most log points at the conclusion of the pool stage will progress to the final.
In the event of the final having to be postponed, an alternative date will be agreed between the teams.
Photo: Gallo Images
