SA Rugby has confirmed that the Springbok Sevens players and staff are being tested for coronavirus because they came into contact with the Australia Men’s Sevens side.

After it came to light that two members of the Australian Sevens programme tested positive for Covid-19, the Blitzboks are now undergoing tests for the virus because they were in contact with their Australian counterparts as the Los Angeles Sevens and Vancouver Sevens.

Several members of the U20 squad – who had travelled individually from their clubs in Europe – will also be tested.

‘The president has called on South African society to join together in fighting this pandemic and we will do everything we can to assist that campaign and protect the health of the rugby community,’ SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux said.

‘Rugby is sport with a high degree of physical contact and by its very nature is the opposite of the recommended “social distancing”.

‘We have therefore suspended all national team activities and instructed managements to put athletes on individual training regimes – away from high-risk areas such as gymnasiums – to lower the risk of infection.

‘The intention is that they will resume group preparation from 14 April to allow two weeks’ of reintegration before taking on competitive action.’

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