South African Rugby President Mark Alexander has accepted there will be no fans at stadiums for the British and Irish Lions series but is confident the COVID-19 protocols in place will allow all the scheduled games to go ahead.
The Lions, who will face the Springboks in three tests from July 24, have arrived in South Africa with the country gripped by a third wave of COVID-19 infections, prompting tightened restrictions including a 9 p.m. curfew.The country, the worst-hit on the African continent in terms of recorded cases and deaths, reported almost 18,000 new cases on Saturday, approaching the peak of daily infections seen in a second wave in January.
Alexander said that had the Lions series been cancelled and the Springboks went through another year without playing a test, it could have spelled the end of professional rugby in South Africa. "The more you cut back and if we lose money, it has an effect on everybody's budget all the way down from the Springboks to school rugby."Alexander said the measures Lions tour organisers have put in place to safeguard players and team officials from COVID-19 will be enough to ensure it goes ahead successfully.
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