The world champion Springboks will not compete in this year's Rugby Championship. Photo: Getty ImagesSouth Africa has withdrawn from the Rugby Championship to cut the number of tournament matches in half. Sanzaar on Wednesday gave South Africa Rugby an additional 48 hours to reach a final verdict on the Springboks' participation after last-ditch attempts were made for the Boks to arrive in Australia three weeks later than originally planned. In the end, despite having three to five matches prior to their tests in Australia, South Africa did not believe the Springboks had sufficient time to physically prepare for the tournament. Player welfare is a genuine concern for South Africa with their domestic competition, Super Rugby Unlocked, only restarting on October 10.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 15, 2020 18:00 UTC