The British & Irish Lions tour has suffered a blow, with the postponement of their weekend game in Pretoria amid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases in South African rugby.
The Lions were to play the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, but four of the local players, plus one official, have tested positive and because of their close contact with teammates, all must isolate, leaving the Currie Cup champions unable to field a team.
More players have tested positive in the Springbok camp, as the host nation prepares for their three tests against the tourists, starting July 24. South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber and five other staff members have also tested positive.
South Africa are due to play Georgia in a second warm-up test in Johannesburg on Friday, but that is now in the balance, after Georgia also reported four positive cases.
A decision on Friday's test will be made on Thursday by a medical advisory group set up for the tour to oversee COVID-19 protocols and rule on cases, but it would be a surprise if it went ahead.
The outbreak of cases realises officials' worst fears, as despite a severe lockdown, South Africa, grapples with the virus with a record number of 26,000 fresh cases reported at the weekend and hospitals heaving under the strain of infections.
REGULAR TESTING
All teams are in bio-secure hotels and supposed to follow strict protocols with regular testing. The Lions are being tested four times a week.
"These positive results are a setback and have underlined the danger of transmissibility of the Delta variant," says SA rugby chief executive officer Jurie Roux.
"The priority is to maintain the integrity of the test series and we will continue to focus on that."
The touring Lions will go ahead with Wednesday's game against the Sharks at Ellis Park, with no cases reported in those camps, but concern shrouds next week's fixture against South Africa A in Cape Town.
The local players for that game are being drawn from an expansive Springbok squad, which has now had seven positive cases over the last week.
The latest Springbok players to test positive were named as Frans Malherbe, Marvin Orie, Handre Pollard and Frans Steyn, who all played last Friday, when South Africa beat Georgia 40-9 at Pretoria.
Tour rules allow for postponed matches to be rescheduled, which means the Lions could still play the Bulls later in the eight-week tour.
The Lions schedule has five matches against franchise teams, as well as South Africa A, followed by the three tests on successive Saturdays, with no midweek matches once the tests begin.
Reuters
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