LIONS TOUR ON BRINK AFTER VIRUS SURGE

FEARS are growing that the Lions tour of South Africa will be unable to go ahead this summer, due to continuing disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Sportsmail has learned that contingency planning is being accelerated in light of the spike in case numbers and the emergence of ‘mutant’ strains of the virus in the UK and South Africa. The original plan was to wait until March to make a firm decision on whether or not to proceed with the

British and Irish crusade to face the world champion Springboks, but talks are now likely to hit a critical point by the end of this month. The outlook for the tour appears to have deteriorated alarmingly in the last fortnight, with the worsening of the Covid situation serving to ‘throw a spanner in the works’. Multiple sources have

conceded that hopes of the Lions avoiding the fallout from the pandemic are fading, with the rugby authorities in South Africa — where a vaccination programme is still months away — ‘starting to fear the worst’. It has previously been made clear that the whole venture cannot proceed without crowds and that position has not changed, despite the revenue generated by broadcast rights and a vast array of lucrative sponsorship deals. Officials in the host nation and within the home unions accept the need for the ‘Red Army’ to be able to attend — with around 30,000 travelling fans expected. Sadly, the virus may now jeopardise the sport’s marquee event in 2021. The back-up option tion will be to explore whether it is feasible to shift the tour back a year, to the same window in n 2022. Such is the e commercial cloutut of the Lions, there may be a collective will to make such a contingency work, although South Africa are supposed to be involved in a Test series against Wales during that window, while England are scheduled to visit Australia and Ireland have a series in New Zealand. Any attempt to postpone the tour by a year would create logistical difficulties in the crowded rugby calendar. However, the alternative to a one-year delay is cancellation — a scenario with grim financial implications which officials will be desperate to avoid. Lions head coach Warren Gatland (above) is due in South Africa on a reconnaissance mission next month, but that trip is in doubt due to travel restrictions. The Kiwi was expected to name his assistant coaches soon, with Andy Farrell, Steve Borthwick and Gregor Townsend in contention.