The British & Irish Lions have reverted to plan A and will play behind closed doors in South Africa this summer after abandoning alternative plans to host the tour in the UK.
After weeks of speculation the Lions board and their SA Rugby counterparts now insist the series will happen in July and August, assuming the necessary Covid-19 safety precautions are in place.
As recently as Friday the preferred option was to try to rearrange the series in Britain and Ireland, with games played in empty stadiums in South Africa not seen as viable. The increasing prospect of a third Covid wave in Europe, however, and a lack of financial assurances from the government in the event of an enforced late cancellation have led to that option being shelved.
For many it will be a bittersweet announcement, with little obvious chance of Lions supporters being able to roar on their team in the southern hemisphere. Up to 40,000 travelling fans watched the team’s last series against the Springboks in 2009 but the looming spectre of no tour at all was clearly regarded as unthinkable. The South African government is understood to be supportive and a well-placed source confirmed there was “a shared will” to make the series happen.
If nothing else it is hoped the television pictures will be a positive advert for the country’s beleaguered tourist industry. “We appreciate the Lions’ faith and share their desire to see a safe and successful tour,” said Mark Alexander, president of SA Rugby. “We have been in regular contact with our government to make that a reality against the backdrop of the pandemic and its predicted progression over the coming months.
“There are serious financial implications for SA Rugby, should the event take place without any supporters in attendance, and we cannot ignore that in our considerations. But we are determined the eventual outcome will deliver the best occasion and experience for players, supporters and our commercial partners.”
It remains possible a tweak or two may be made to the original fixture schedule which was due to commence with a game against the Stormers in Cape Town on 3 July. Discussions have already taken place about adding a fourth Test to the schedule, while a warm-up game against Japan at Murrayfield on 26 June is still inked in the diary.
Regardless of playing in front of empty grounds, however, the Lions chairman, Jason Leonard, believes every player chosen for the tour will still be honoured to participate against the Springboks. “Every British and Irish player dreams of wearing the famous red jersey, and players from the southern hemisphere aspire to be part of a Lions series. We owe it to the current players vying for a place in both squads to ensure they can become part of Lions history. We are very much looking forward to taking on South Africa for what promises to be a highly competitive series against the reigning world champions.”
Even Leonard accepts, though, that there can be no absolute certainty about the wider Covid situation in South Africa in July. To date there have been more than 52,000 Covid-related deaths in the country and England’s one-day series against South Africa was abandoned in December after a number of a positive coronavirus tests were recorded by squad members.
Leonard said: “We acknowledge that there is a significant amount of work still to be undertaken to deliver a robust Covid‑19 countermeasure plan to ensure a successful, safe and uninterrupted tour.”
Bill Sweeney, the RFU’s chief executive and a member of the Lions board, also emphasised the need “to make sure the players’ health and welfare is absolutely of a level we can accept” if the tour is to proceed smoothly.
“We have seen already the situation with the ECB in cricket when they went to South Africa and players halfway in said they did not feel comfortable with the protocols and welfare issues in place,” Sweeney said, stressing the option of postponing the tour until 2022 was also fraught with difficulty.
“There were concerns there was no guarantee South Africa could host in 2022 and there were also a whole series of other tours in place. One of the hardest things in life is changing the rugby calendar. It was just felt that the postponement option was extremely difficult to pull off.”