Two young rugby players from Vicenza banned in…

They spend their days in a hotel in Cape Town, facing each other in the most classic board game. Relax a little. But above all, they are waiting for the good news. Jacopo Trulla and Andrea Zambonin, 21-year-old Italian rugby players from Vicenza, are stuck in South Africa, Because of the South African alternative to Covid-19, along with the entire team, Zebre, a Federal franchise based in Parma. They had to take the field today, against DHL Stormers, and on Saturday 4 December at Cell C Sharks, matches valid for Rugby United, the tournament in which teams from South Africa, Wales, Ireland and Scotland participate. The matches were postponed yesterday and the official call came from the organizers. “Due to the sudden developments related to the new Covid-19 variant which has immediately included South Africa in the lists of countries at risk by the UK and the European Union, Rounds 6 and 7 of the United Rugby Championship to be held in the South Africa matches for the upcoming weekends have been postponed. It will be rescheduled for later in the season.The safety and well-being of players, coaches, staff and match officials in our participating clubs is the highest priority, and URC is working with the four guest clubs, Cardiff Rugby, Monster Rugby, Scarletts and Zepri Parma, to facilitate returns to their countries as soon as possible. This decision is based on the latest indicators banning non-essential travel to and from South Africa, the ban on direct flights to the UK and other domestic destinations, and the potential hotel quarantine applied to returnees from South Africa.An assessment period will now be needed to understand the impact of the restrictions This new travel is better and how to reschedule these matches in the current season.”

Zebras left Italy on Wednesday with a strong desire to do well in the South African Championships. “We arrived in Cape Town with a lot of enthusiasm – explained Trulla from Vicenza, Zipre and the U-20 national team, joined the Faculty of Psychology at UniMarconi – we haven’t played in a while and mentally ready, we were waiting for this opportunity to compare ourselves to the important teams. Yesterday they gathered us to update us on The news of the postponement of the matches and we welcomed them with regret and surprise. We are now locked up in the hotel until other news. The competent authorities are working to get us back to Italy as quickly as possible, but we are not sure. ». They can leave today, or on the first of December, ‘at worst Conditions in two weeks.” Time does not pass in the hotel. “But morale is high – said the player, who was going to start today against the Stormers – we are calm. We’ve all been vaccinated and live in a bubble, far from everyone. Of course we would have preferred to go to the field.” Among other things, Trula, last June, while in Vicenza, was infected by Covid. “I was in quarantine for ten days, and now those moments are far away.” The priority now is to go home. “Once we return to Parma, we will train to prepare for the Challenge Cup dates scheduled in two weeks’ time.”