British & Irish Lions Set To Continue South Africa Tour As Scheduled
The British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa is to go ahead as planned, with an overseas tour taking place in the scheduled playing window this summer.
The Lions and South Africa Rugby have confirmed that they are ‘aligned’ on delivering the Castle Lager Lions series as planned. However, the pair say there is still a ‘significant’ amount of work left to do in order to deliver a ‘safe and uninterrupted tour’, and the schedule is still subject to review.
It is still unclear whether the Tests will take place in front of fans, while the ability of UK and Ireland based fans to travel abroad this summer is also in doubt. The Lions have confirmed that, if fans are not allowed in stands for the matches, those who had purchased tickets via the Lions ticket ballot will be refunded, while those who had bought ticket-inclusive packages from Lions Rugby Travel would be contacted with more information.
“After reviewing information relating to the various contingency scenarios being considered, I can confirm that the Board’s intended position is for the Tour to go ahead as scheduled in South Africa in 2021,” said Jason Leonard, Chairman, The British & Irish Lions.
“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. SA Rugby will have our full support to help implement this plan.”
Mark Alexander, President of the SA Rugby, added: “We appreciate the Lions’ faith and share their desire to see a safe and successful tour.
“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 that the eventual outcome will deliver the best occasion and experience for players, supporters and our commercial partners.”
The Lions have also confirmed they intend to play the Vodafone Lions 1888 Cup match against Japan at BT Murrayfield Stadium on Saturday 26th June as scheduled, while a decision on crowd size will be made in due course and in line with the guidance issued by the government at the time.
