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Cancellation fears growing about the Lions' tour to South Africa

By PA
(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

The British and Irish Lions’ tour of South Africa could be cancelled if travelling fans are prevented from attending because of the coronavirus pandemic. South Africa Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux warns that the absence of supporters would make the event, which opens on July 3 and culminates in a three-Test series, commercially unviable.

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Organisers expect the tour to proceed as scheduled, but if the estimated 20,000-strong contingent of Lions fans are prevented from travelling because of Covid-19 then it would be abandoned altogether.

The sport’s congested schedule means there is little scope to stage it later in the year while delaying it until 2022 – 14 months out from the next World Cup – would be widely opposed.

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Lions legend Lawrence Dallaglio rewatches the opening Test of the 1997 tour to South Africa in the company of RugbyPass

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Lions legend Lawrence Dallaglio rewatches the opening Test of the 1997 tour to South Africa in the company of RugbyPass

Roux told a press conference: “There has been some talk of moving it out to a new date, but our travel advice is that by June/July, we should be at what is deemed to be normal international travel.

“But we are monitoring it on a monthly basis. Travelling for international events will likely still be under more pressure than pre-Covid (in July 2021). No spectators and people not being able to travel would not make this commercially viable and then we would discuss how we continue with the tour.

“We’re obviously looking at a number of different contingencies around what happens if Covid-19 continues in the way that it currently does. First prize is that that doesn’t happen. Second prize is that there are some restrictions and we can manage in those.”

Lions tours generate vast revenues for the cash-strapped southern hemisphere nations and even with the more equitable profit-sharing system that will see home unions secure a greater share of proceeds now in place, a cancellation would be a major setback for South Africa.

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“As recently announced, we are fully intending for the tour to go ahead as scheduled, but, as you would expect, SA Rugby, in conjunction with the Lions, are contingency planning for all eventualities,” a Lions spokesman said.

The Lions will be led by former Wales and current Chiefs head coach Warren Gatland, who guided them to victory in Australia in 2013 and a draw in his native New Zealand four years later.

A five-week schedule is due to get underway in Cape Town on Saturday, July 3, when the Stormers provide the opposition in the first of five matches before the first Test in Johannesburg. They will return to Cape Town a week later for the second Test and complete the series in Johannesburg on Saturday, August 7.

 

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Bull Shark 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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