New dates for SA's 'preparation fixtures'
UPDATE: SA Rugby announced on Friday that they will be broadcasting all 16 preparation fixtures live when the local rugby season kicks off next weekend.
As a result, the fixtures have been amended. Eight local unions will each play four matches – two at home and two away – from Friday, February 26 until Sunday, March 28.
The series of warm-up encounters has been specifically designed by the Rugby Department of SA Rugby and the competing unions to meet teams’ high-performance needs against the landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic and to prepare the players for the season ahead.
Instead of weekly encounters, matches will be played on a ten-day cycle to manage COVID testing protocols. The eight teams have been split into two groups and will play cross-pool matches.
Pool A consists of the Bulls, Lions, Griquas and Cheetahs, and they will play the four sides in Pool B, namely the Sharks, Stormers, Pumas and Eastern Province.
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Preparation series fixtures
(Home teams named first, local kick-off time)
Friday, February 26
19.00: Lions v Pumas
Saturday, February 27
17.15: Stormers v Cheetahs
Sunday, February 28
15.00: Bulls v Eastern Province
17.15: Sharks v Griquas
Tuesday, March 9
16.45: Cheetahs v Sharks
19.00: Pumas v Bulls
Wednesday, March 10
16.45: Eastern Province v Lions
19.00: Griquas v Stormers
Friday, March 19
16.45: Pumas v Cheetahs
19.00: Bulls v Stormers
Saturday, March 20
14.00: Eastern Province v Griquas
16.15: Lions v Sharks
Friday, March 26
19.00: Sharks v Bulls
Saturday, March 27
15.00: Griquas v Pumas
17.15: Stormers v Lions
Sunday, March 28
15.00: Cheetahs v Eastern Province
