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Entire Lions tour to be played in Cape Town due to COVID-19 fears

The entire series between the British & Irish Lions and South Africa will be played in Cape T...



The entire series between the British & Irish Lions and South Africa will be played in Cape Town. 

The three-match series gets underway this Saturday at the Cape Town Stadium, but was due to move to Johannesburg's FNB Stadium for the final two tests.

However, following consultation with medical experts regarding the risk posed by the Delta variant of COVID-19, the series will have one home.

"The data pointed in only one direction," said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.

“The series has already been significantly disrupted by COVID-19 and a return to Gauteng [province] at this time would only increase the risks.

 “We now have two teams in bio-secure environments without any positive cases or anyone in isolation. To now return to the Highveld would expose the series to renewed risk.

 “Everyone wants to see the two squads, at their strongest, playing out an unforgettable series over the next three weekends and this decision gives us the best opportunity to see that happen.”

On Monday, 7,209 new cases of coronavirus were recorded, bringing the seven-day average to 13,646.

The move to Cape Town had been mentioned several times by Lions head coach Warren Gatland, but up until Tuesday was denied by their hosts.

Lions MD Ben Calveley welcomed the news, saying, "We are fully supportive of this decision which we believe to be in the best interest of the Test series.”

Roux thanked the local authorities for their flexibility, adding, "We have had great support from local government, and I’d like to thank both Gauteng and the City of Cape Town for their openminded engagement in what has been a very challenging time.

“Extraordinary times have called for extraordinary measures and we have had support from all our commercial partners despite the challenges.”

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British And Irish Lions Jurie Roux Lions South Africa Springboks The Lions