Lions explore contingency plans after three South Africa Covid positive tests
The British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa is facing yet more upheaval with organisers understood to be exploring contingency plans amid doubts over the eight-match series taking place as scheduled.
The Lions departed for Johannesburg on Sunday night shortly before the South Africa president, Cyril Ramaphosa, announced stricter lockdown measures as Covid-19 rates surge in the host country. Compounding matters, the entire Springboks squad has been forced into isolation following three positive cases within the ranks.
Starting on Saturday, the Lions are due to play their first three matches – and the last two Tests – in the Gauteng region of South Africa which has been badly hit by Covid-19. Ramaphosa has announced stricter measures, including a ban on all gatherings, alcohol sales and a 9pm curfew.
After Saturday’s comfortable victory in the warm-up match over Japan at Murrayfield – in which the Lions lost their tour captain Alun Wyn Jones to injury with Conor Murray announced as the surprise replacement – Warren Gatland insisted that the Lions have received assurances that they will be able to train and prepare for their eight-match tour as planned in South Africa. It is understood, however, that the Lions are exploring contingencies given the concerning Covid situation in South Africa.
Relocating matches currently slated for Gauteng could be an option but with South Africa gripped by a third Covid wave, further questions have been raised over whether the tour should be taking place at all.
The extent of the Covid in situation in South Africa was brought into sharp focus on Sunday with South Africa Rugby revealing that training was cancelled after three players – the Saracens prop Vincent Koch, the winger Sbu Nkosi and the fly-half Herschel Jantjies – tested positive. South Africa are due to play their first Test since the 2019 World Cup final on Friday against Georgia with SA Rugby revealing that, “a decision on further team activities will be made shortly”.
South Africa’s director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, attempted to play down fears over the Test series against the Lions, which is due to begin in Cape Town on 24 July, but the outbreak is a considerable cause for concern, not least with the Lions’ first opponents on
Saturday - the Emirates Lions - having to cancel a Rainbow Cup match earlier this month due to positive cases.
“I don’t think it’s a big cause for concern but we want to keep everybody as safe as possible,” Erasmus said. “We have followed strict [protocols] and everyone is isolated at the moment. It is disruptive but it has happened to other rugby teams over the last months and we have enough players in our camp to go ahead with our matches.”
The South Africa squad are currently in Bloemfontein and will be retested in isolation with the union saying “they would be led by specialist advice before any action is taken”. A statement read: “The Springboks cancelled Sunday’s planned training session in Johannesburg as a precautionary measure when scheduled testing protocols returned three positive Covid-19 test results when the team assembled on Saturday. Team management immediately put the squad into self-isolation as a precaution until specialist medical advice is sought from the Lions Series Medical Advisory Group (MAG). A decision on further team activities will be made shortly.”
At the very least the tour is going to begin on shaky ground and, though on the field the Lions can be happy with aspects of their performance against Japan, any positives were significantly overshadowed by the loss of Jones, as well as the Wales flanker Justin Tipuric. Jones dislocated a shoulder, forcing Gatland’s appointed leader and the only member of the squad with experience of a Lions tour in South Africa out of the squad. The Wales lock Adam Beard was summoned as a replacement while Josh Navidi has taken the place of Tipuric – who also sustained a shoulder injury – and Murray has been made captain.
The appointment of Murray has raised eyebrows given his limited captaincy experience and Gatland’s decision to overlook Owen Farrell and Stuart Hogg, both of whom captain their country, as well as Ken Owens and Maro Itoje. Murray is, however, on his third tour and his selection suggests he is Gatland’s No1 choice at scrum-half.
When asked if he was surprised by his promotion to tour leader, Murray said: “A little bit to be honest. I didn’t even think about it. Warren asked me just before the cap ceremony and it was surreal. I still don’t have my head around it but it’s an unbelievable honour. It’s something that I never thought would be possible. I didn’t think about it long. I said: ‘Absolutely, it’ll be a massive honour. Thank you very much for this opportunity’.”
Meanwhile England’s “A” international against Scotland was on Sunday cancelled due to further positive tests. The Rugby Football Union said the game, scheduled to take place at Welford Road, was off “due to further Covid-19 positive tests in the Scotland squad”.
The Scottish Rugby Union confirmed that three members of the Scotland camp had tested positive for Covid-19. Scotland’s preparations for the match were hit on Friday after the SRU said an unnamed player had tested positive, with eight others forced to self-isolate. England will now focus on their upcoming Tests against the USA on Sunday and Canada six days later.