Lions squad is slimmed down to cut Covid risk

THE Lions plan to take a streamlined tour party to South africa this summer to minimise the risk of a Covid outbreak, according to chairman Jason Leonard. In an exclusive interview with Sportsmail’s Sir Clive Woodward, Leonard explains the logic behind having a small squad of 36 — as first revealed in these pages last month — and limited non-playing personnel. Warren gatland is due to name his assistants today, with gregor Townsend, Robin McBryde, Steve Tandy and Neil Jenkins expected to be unveiled. The Kiwi head coach is set to announce his chosen players on May 6 and asked about including so few of them, Leonard said: ‘We are looking at that from the biosecure point of view and it extends to back-room staff as well. ‘My gut feeling is we need to pare back a little and reduce the risk of picking up a random Covid positive to the absolute minimum. ‘We absolutely must not be

under-resourced for a Test series against the Boks, but we need to be as lean as possible. ‘And the mix needs to be good. There is going to be a lot of down-time in the hotel to kill without everybody disappearing to their rooms, smart phones and computers. ‘So (there will be) karaoke sessions, learning a few songs, quizzes, player courts, all sorts.’ Leonard is confident that Lions players will adapt to strict Covid protocols and cope with six weeks in a tour ‘bubble’, adding: ‘I believe they will because modern players are ultimate professionals. ‘There will be laws and strict regulations to obey. I talk as somebody who broke a few rules and regs on tour in my time. If I was still playing, I’d be absolutely heartbroken if I was the guy who stepped out of line and let the others down — the individual who perhaps even caused us to lose a Test. I just wouldn’t go there. ‘It’s only six weeks of your life. The guys will adapt and cope.’