Bulls to be crowned champs as Sharks v Stormers cancelled
NEWS: The Sharks’ match with the Stormers in Durban on Saturday has been cancelled following positive tests among the Sharks’ tighthead props.
It follows the cancellation of the Lions’ matches against the Cheetahs and Pumas.
“Players and management are urged to employ extreme caution in their social engagement,” said Jurie Roux, SA Rugby CEO.
“It only takes one careless interaction by a single player to have the knock-on effect that impacts on 45 other players, team managements, the schedule and potentially the destination of the title.
“As fit young athletes it may be tempting to think that they are ‘immune’ to infection and are free of comorbidities that make them vulnerable. But a positive test for one of them can have massive repercussions.
“I trust that team managements will underline that message on a daily basis to their playing personnel.”
The Sharks and Stormers match will be declared a draw and both teams will receive two log points, respectively.
Meaning the Stormers and Sharks will conclude the tournament in second and third spot with both on 19 points each.
The Pumas’ match against the Bulls – scheduled for Friday in Pretoria – has been pushed back until Saturday, November 21 for player welfare reasons (kick-off time to be confirmed).
The Pumas squad – which returned several positive tests last week – will be re-tested on Thursday.
The results will be known on Friday, allowing time for a training session after 10 days in isolation before meeting the Bulls on Saturday.
However, despite the outcome of Pumas and Bulls match, the men from Pretoria is set to be crowned the Super Rugby Champions because they are currently two log points ahead of the Stormers and Sharks (tied in second place).