No Place For Springboks In 2020 Northern Hemisphere Tournament

Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images for WorldRugby

Jurie Roux, CEO SARU and Jaques Nienaber, Springbok coach stated in the past two weeks that if the Springboks' participation in the 2020 Rugby Champion does not materialise they would look to the Northern Hemisphere for competition. However, the BBC reported that England is likely to be in a four-team pool alongside Wales, Ireland and Fiji, while Scotland, France, Italy and Japan will make up the other group.

The tournament, in which the teams will be divided into two pools, will start on 14 November and ends on 5 December 2020. England, Wales, Ireland and Fiji could make up one pool with France, Scotland, Italy and Japan the other. After playing each other once, the teams will face their corresponding-ranked side in the other pool on the final weekend.

Georgia was according to the BBC also considered but Japan's inclusion was due to their greater commercial potential. Fiji's inclusion was based on the fact that several of their players are already based in Europe.

England, France, Ireland and Italy expect fans to be allowed back into sports grounds by October, although with capacities at no more than half, but Wales will not return to the Principality Stadium until next year.

Confirmation of the new, as yet unnamed, tournament, is expected next month.