Revised Lions tour schedule confirmed
SA Rugby and the British and Irish Lions confirmed a revised Castle Lager Lions tour fixture list and venues on Friday.
All eight matches of the tour will be played in Gauteng and Cape Town to minimise the risks of disruption by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The schedule accommodates stable team bases and training venues and significantly reduces travel.
The tour will kick off in Gauteng, rather than Cape Town, with three matches against provincial opposition before moving to Cape Town for two more warm-up matches prior to the first Test at Cape Town Stadium on July 24.
The tour then returns to Johannesburg for the second and third Tests at the FNB Stadium.
There is one team change in the revised schedule, with the Emirates Lions replacing the SA Invitational team. The adjustment was made to reduce the risks associated with drawing a squad from around the country. SA Rugby is organising all games in the schedule to comply with the regulations on attendance as will apply at the time of the tour.
“We’re delighted to be able to finally confirm the revised schedule after months of scenario planning and shifting circumstances,” SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux said. “It has been a challenging process with dozens of variables to consider, but we believe we have arrived at a schedule that minimises the risks associated with the pandemic.
“We are hopeful that restrictions on attendance at sports events will be relaxed but, for the moment, we are planning for an event behind closed doors.
“If that requirement changes, then we’ll assess the options available and make the necessary decisions based on the restrictions in place.”
The fixtures are:
Saturday July 3: Emirates Lions v British & Irish
Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg, 6pm) Wednesday July 7: Sharks v British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg, 8pm)
Saturday July 10: Bulls v British & Irish Lions (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, 6pm) Wednesday July 14: South Africa A v British & Irish Lions (Cape
Town Stadium, Cape Town, 8pm) Saturday July 17: Stormers v British & Irish Lions (Cape Town
Stadium, Cape Town, 6pm) Saturday July 24:
Springboks v British & Irish Lions (1st Test, Cape
Town Stadium, Cape Town, 6pm) Saturday July 31: Springboks v British & Irish Lions (2nd Test,
FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, 6pm) Saturday
August 7: Springboks v British & Irish Lions (3rd Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, 6pm) — SA Rugby