Lions tour of South Africa in doubt

The British & Irish Lions will decide by next month whether their tour to South Africa that starts in July will go ahead after new strains of coronavirus that have emerged there and in Britain adds to the uncertainty over whether fans will be allowed to watch matches.

The British government is currently advising anyone against travelling to South Africa, which last weekend became the first country in the continent to reach one million cases of COVID-19 and has banned the sale of alcohol as well as imposing a nationwide curfew.

There is no timetable yet for a vaccination programme in South Africa.

The Lions are due to play eight matches in South Africa, starting with the Stormers in Cape Town on 3 July and ending with the third Test against the World Cup holders in Johannesburg on 7 August.

The Springboks have not played since defeating England in the World Cup final 14 months ago.

Pushing the Lions tour, which is a financial necessity for the South African Union, back to 2022 would be problematic with England set to tour Australia while Ireland are in New Zealand and Wales are due in South Africa 15 months out from the World Cup in France.

[Source: theguardian]