Foreign players should be accessible if the Springboks get to play Test rugby far ahead this year

If, and this is a considerable ‘if’, the Springboks get to play Test rugby later this year, they should have their overseas-based players available for those engagements.

Amid lingering uncertainty brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, there had been concern that the Boks, as Rugby World Cup holders and the top-ranked team in the world, would not be able to call on some of their leading lights when the game returns. Rugby fans can book British lions rugby Tickets on our website on exclusively discounted prices.

Foreign players should be accessible if the Springboks get to play Test rugby far ahead this year

Several World Cup-winning Springboks hold contracts in Europe and Japan. An insider told TimesLIVE that World Rugby, the game’s governing body, is working on a strategy that will ensure that the game’s top talent’s availability for when Test rugby resumes.

There, of course, are no set dates for the return of the game as governments around the world have had to put in place different restrictions to help curb the spread of the disease. Those include border closures and other travel restrictions. There are moves to ensure that when the Test game gets the green light, it will do so with rugby’s apex talent on display.

Player eligibility is guided by World Rugby’s regulation nine which makes provision for two distinct windows (July and November) for players, irrespective of where they play their club rugby, to represent their national team.

Those windows, which were established for the temporary release of the game’s top players from club duty, carry little consequence this year of course as the game has ground to a complete halt. Now, the respective club seasons and Test rugby both occupy a spot in the boat uncertainty.

Foreign players should be accessible if the Springboks get to play Test rugby far ahead this year

Once World Rugby has greater clarity around dates for the return of the Test game it can broker a deal with the clubs for the release of the players. The clubs however have a tetchy relationship with World Rugby and an agreement cannot be taken for granted.

The Springboks were supposed to play Scotland and Georgia this month, while the Rugby Championship is due to run from August to early October. The Springboks’ end of year tour to Italy, France, Ireland, and Wales now looks highly unlikely.

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British and Irish Lions Tour – Harper Collins lands the life story of South African rugby captain Siya Kolisi

Harper Collins has landed the life story of Siya Kolisi, Springboks captain and star of South Africa’s 2019 World Cup-winning rugby team.

Executive publisher Oli Malcolm bought world all language rights from Kelly Hogarth at Roc Nation Sports, supported by Rory Scarfe at The Blair Partnership. Written with Boris Starling, the currently untitled book will publish next year, ahead of the forthcoming Lions tour to South Africa in 2021. Rugby fans can book British lions rugby Tickets on our website on exclusively discounted prices.

British and Irish Lions Tour – Harper Collins lands the life story of South African rugby captain Siya Kolisi

In May 2018 Siya Kolisi was named commander of the Springboks, the main dark test skipper in the group’s 128-year history. His appointment was recognized worldwide as a pivotal moment in South African history. The next year he left a mark on the world again.

He drove his group to triumph in the 2019 World Cup, beating England in the last to turn into the first black captain of a World Cup-winning side.

The publisher explained: “Kolisi’s life story will tell the extraordinary tale of a young boy from an impoverished township on the Eastern Cape who went on to guide the Springboks to their first World Cup final in 12 years and lift Rugby Union’s greatest prize. Born to teenage parents, Kolisi was raised by his grandmother after the death of his mother when he was just 15.”

“Aged 12 he won a rugby scholarship to a prestigious local school, despite speaking no English on arrival. A decade later Kolisi led his team to victory on the world stage in one of the most inspirational success stories in the sport’s history. Kolisi’s story is one of stoicism, unification, and self-belief.”

British and Irish Lions Tour – Harper Collins lands the life story of South African rugby captain Siya Kolisi

“There are so many parts of my story that haven’t been told and I feel it’s the perfect time to share these with the hope of inspiring and motivating anyone who has ever faced adversity. It was so important to me that my story was told from my account and with the right publishing group. I’m thrilled to partner with HarperCollins on a creative project that we can both be proud of.”

Malcolm added: “It is an immense personal and professional privilege to be working on this publication. Siya Kolisi has not simply won a Rugby World Cup, but proven to future generations that anything is possible.”

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