SANZAAR confident Rugby Championship will happen this year

SANZAAR chief executive Andy Marinos is confident that the Rugby Championship will be happening this year despite the ongoing pandemic coronavirus crisis.

The tournament involving teams from New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Argentina was originally scheduled to be played in August but the outbreak of Covid-19 has put the competition in doubt.

New Zealand and Australia have already started their local Super Rugby competitions that has seen a completion of four and one round respectively and Marinos is expecting the situation including travel restrictions to ease out by the end of the year.

"We remain very positive about that," Marinos told New Zealand's Stuff.

"Obviously the biggest elephant ... in the room is what sort of restrictions that could come in.

"But we are certainly very positive as a group to deliver a Rugby Championship this year in whichever market we can, where we can get all the teams in and get the competition underway.

"At this stage we are looking at the back-end of October, into November and probably early December."

South Africa were the winners of the 2019 edition of Rugby Championship after they managed two wins and a draw in the three games. Overall, the All Blacks have dominated the competition having won 16 titles while the Wallabies and the Springboks have managed four apiece.