The entire South African leg of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship is under threat as European sides scramble to fly out of the country.
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On Thursday evening the UK government made the announcement that South Africa was to return to its travel ‘red list’ following the identification of a new, potentially more infectious Covid variant.
South Africa had previously been removed from the red list in early October but the reintroduction now makes travel between the two countries impossible. A ban on all air travel is set to come into force at midday (14:00 SA time) on 26 November.
The ban has left a number of URC teams scrambling to return to Europe while they still can. The two Welsh sides, Cardiff and the Scarlets, have already announced their intention to leave on Friday morning if possible – stating that the safety of their staff and players is paramount.
With the situation in South Africa having changed so quickly, we are now looking to repatriate our staff ASAP. For concerned families and friends, please rest assured that our focus is to ensure the safety and welfare of our people and will keep you updated with any developments.
— Cardiff Rugby (@Cardiff_Rugby) November 25, 2021
Following the news of a new COVID-19 variant in South Africa, Scarlets would like to assure families and friends that we are making every effort to get our touring party back home to the UK as soon as possible. We will provide further updates as soon as we can.
— Scarlets Rugby (@scarlets_rugby) November 26, 2021
Should the sides be successful in returning to the UK, their respective matches against the Sharks and the Lions would be cancelled. As would the remainder of their South African tour.
There has been no decision made by the Irish or Italian governments to restrict travel to South Africa and as such Munster and Benetton have yet to formally signal their intention to also return home.
This latest Covid catastrophe comes at the worst possible time for South African rugby, just as it looked set to welcome fans back into stadia for the first time in nearly two years. It seems unlikely that South African sides will face international opposition at home this year.
The announcement has also created another logistical nightmare for SA Rugby and URC organisers who will now have to scramble to find some solution to the matches that are set to be cancelled. An already packed schedule does not leave ample time for rescheduling fixtures.
Previously South Africa’s sides had planned to play their ‘home’ matches in Italy and provided that they can enter the country, this contingency may come to be explored again.
