SA Rugby could reportedly reconsider the participation of South African clubs in the Investec Champions Cup as concerns grow over player workload.
Speaking after SA Rugby’s annual meeting in Cape Town on Thursday, president Mark Alexander confirmed that all competitions involving South African teams are under review.
While Alexander did not specifically mention the Champions Cup, Netwerk24 understands that the possibility of South African teams withdrawing from Europe’s premier club competition is being discussed internally.
No South African club has progressed beyond the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup since joining the competition in the 2022-23 season, with teams generally placing greater emphasis on the Vodacom URC.
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“We generate our income from participating in tournaments. Participation is important, but our players are overworked,” Alexander said.
“We will hold a workshop in July in which we will have to decide which competitions will be retained and which ones we can drop.”
Alexander stressed the need to better manage player welfare amid increasingly demanding schedules.
“We have to find a balance so that our players can rest enough. They cannot play 11 months of the year,” he said.
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Alexander also expressed frustration at the lack of progress around a global season.
“Discussions about a global rugby calendar have been going on for 14 years without anything concrete coming to fruition,” he said.
“If you do the same thing over and over again, you’re not going to get a different outcome.
“We have to make tough decisions as an organisation and we will do that over the next month or two.
“It has to be done in the best interests of our players.”
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Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images
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