Relief for Lions as player who tested positive is now a negative
Saturday’s new Lions fixture seemingly hinges on whether the unnamed player who tested positive on Wednesday and has since tested negative on Thursday tests negative again on Friday so that all his six close contacts can be released from isolation and become available for selection for a match hastily arranged against the Sharks due to the unavailability of the Covid-hit Bulls.
The Lions confirmed on Tuesday that their Bulls match in Pretoria had fallen by the wayside and after eventually managing to play their match versus the Sharks on Wednesday despite an outbreak within their own camp, the Sharks have been lined up again to provide the opposition next Saturday due to the Bulls pull-out.
Warren Gatland was forced into making eight changes to his originally selected matchday 23 shortly before kick-off on Wednesday, even selecting a seven/one forwards/backs split on the bench, and team selection to face the Sharks in their fixture is on hold until there is clarification whether the player who initially tested positive and then tested negative and his six self-isolating player close contacts are available.
It has also yet to be decided when the two other Lions players identified as close contacts of the staff member who has tested positive for Covid can come out of isolation. Lions managing director Ben Calveley explained: “Yesterday morning [Wednesday] we had one member of the management team test Covid positive. He had four close contacts, two of whom were players and two were staff, so we immediately isolated that group. They went into self-isolation.
“We then surge tested the whole of the rest of the tour part, both lateral flow and PCR tests. All of those tests came back negative apart from one player who returned what is called the single gene positive, which in other words is a very low level positive. But just out of caution we then isolated that player and all of his close contacts and we were then advised by our medical advisory committee that we had to test that individual again today which we have now done.
CONFIRMED: Time to run it back. #LionsRugby https://t.co/htyuMa98bL
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 8, 2021
“Thankfully that test came back negative. He has to test again tomorrow [Friday] and if that also comes back negative then he and all of his close contacts will be released back into the bubble and then they will be available for selection for the game that we have announced for Saturday against the Sharks.”
What about the close contacts of the Covid-positive Lions staff member? “The member of management tested positive, that is a genuine positive and the close contacts associated with that person are isolated… they stay in isolation according to the recommendation of our medical advisory group and we have meetings with them coming up to just determine that [for how long].”
Calveley insisted the tour would remain in South Africa, that the Lions and the Springboks won’t be jumping on a plane to play their games in the UK or anywhere else, but he admitted there were discussions ongoing about potentially staging the second and third Tests in Cape Town rather than returning to the Gauteng region as currently planned.
“We are in a biosecure bubble here so we are protected as much as we can be. There is nobody coming in and out of our facility. We have the players, we have the management team, we have the hotel staff but everybody here lives in the bubble, nobody comes and goes so the hotel staff don’t go home in the evening for example and then reintegrate the next day.
“They live on-site here as well and there are very few hotel staff, so actually our bubble is as secure as it can be and what you don’t want to do is bring risk into the camp by having more time spent travelling around the country. The more times you travel the more opportunity there is for Covid to be introduced into the camp via somebody who is outside of that environment.”
Calveley admitted in a live TV interview before Wednesday’s game that not everyone in the Lions tour party had been double-jabbed, generated concern that this lack of full immunisation could leave them vulnerable to further outbreaks, but the managing director refused to view the lack of complete double-jabbing as an issue.
“Everybody has a right to make their own decision on whether they want to be vaccinated. We have a number of strategies in place to mitigate the risk in any environment and it’s wrong for anybody to think that vaccination is some sort of universal panacea.
“I am afraid it is not so we have an approach where it is multi-layered where, as well as having the majority of the party being vaccinated, we are also exhibiting all the right behaviours that I have spoken about before.
“We are getting tested three times a week if not more, we’re socially distancing, we’re well ventilated, we’re observing hand hygiene, we are wearing masks, we are not integrating with the public and we are travelling very, very infrequently so we have got a pretty robust set of protocols in place that will keep is as safe as we possibly can.
“I don’t think we are going to get into a conversation about who is and isn’t vaccinated. I’d just make the point again that the very high majority of the party are double-jabbed… We just see that as one strand of a very robust Covid mitigation strategy that involves all the other areas that I talked about previously.”
Will the Lions test series be cancelled?? @jimhamilton4 and @StephenFerris6 were on hand to discuss #LionsRugby #Fanzone pic.twitter.com/tzRiulpa7T
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 8, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments