Boks vs Lions in UK

• Covid-19 set to claim another sporting victim as SA unlikely to allow fans at time of tour

One of the abiding memories from the last visit of the British and Irish Lions to these shores was the sheer size of the red army that descended on these parts in 2009.

Ahead of kickoff in the opening Test at Kings Park‚ visiting fans almost to a man and woman dressed in a Lions’ jersey, carefully made their way up the steep top tier of the eastern stand before inching sideways to their designated seats.

Slowly but inexorably they all made it to their destination in a mass movement not dissimilar to the annual red crab migration on Christmas Island.

It is a spectacle South Africans are unlikely to witness this year. They will not see Lions chasing Springboks either as increasingly the tidings from the north seem to suggest the tour will be staged in the UK.

The Covid-19 pandemic would have claimed another sizeable sporting victim if this was to be the case. Getting a handle on the pandemic and driving the infection rate down is proving a huge task for local officials and it is unlikely restrictions will be lifted to the point where full stadiums will be permitted by the time the tour is supposed to start in July.

Playing in empty stadiums would not be commercially viable, hence the talk of staging the Tests in the UK in front of limited crowds. Reports from the UK suggest tour organisers are considering basing both squads on the island of Jersey in the English Channel.

Officials‚ including broadcasters, are growing receptive to the idea of staging the tour in the UK. Apart from the gains from gate receipts‚ the Tests will also be played in favourable times for the broadcasters.

From Down Under also came the left-field offer from

Rugby Australia to make available their resources for staging the tour there. The prospect of playing the Tests in front of sellout crowds in a safe environment is their bargaining chip.

Moving the tour to 2022 would be the most logical option for most rugby fans‚ but the Rugby Union (English Rugby Union) is desperate to avoid scheduling conflicts in 2022. They are committed to their first tour of Australia in six years. England would effectively have to take a B-side to Australia if the Lions tour is postponed‚ as they may well make up the lion’s share of the tourists to SA.

A watered-down series in Australia is unlikely to be the money spinner it was on their last visit when it helped drag Rugby Australia out of the red. England will also be desperate for a proper tour a year out from the next World Cup in France.

Ireland who are due to battle the All Blacks in 2022 will have similar considerations‚ though their matchup will be less fuelled by the bottom line than the tetchy nature of their recent contests.

The Springbok fans who are most likely to see their team clash with the British and Irish Lions in 2021 are almost certainly expats.