SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux says “severals unions” will have to close their doors if spectators aren’t allowed to return to stadiums soon.
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Super Rugby Unlocked matches were all played behind closed doors, while the first two rounds of the Currie Cup has taken place in empty stadiums as well.
In an interview with Sunday’s Rapport newspaper, Roux said SA Rugby is working on a plan to get the fans back which will be submitted to government for approval.
‘We hope there will be spectators for the Currie Cup final (on January 23) with healthy (social) distances maintained,’ Roux said.
Roux warned that South African rugby would not survive another setback like the Covid-19 pandemic.
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‘The fact is that rugby lives from hand to mouth. Every rand that comes in goes out to support the provinces or to keep our most important rugby programmes – such as the Springboks and local competitions – going.
‘In total, we had to cut R1.2 billion (from the SA rugby industry’s budget) to survive. There was damage: The creditworthiness of entities in the game was affected, some people lost their jobs and if it were not for Covid, the Southern Kings would still exist.’
