After months of speculation the British & Irish Lions rugby union team have confirmed they intend to tour South Africa as planned this summer.
There had been reports that the series could be moved to the UK or even played in Australia. However, in an update issued on 23 March the Lions and SA Rugby said they are “aligned on delivering the Castle Lager Lions Series in South Africa in the scheduled playing window”.
Jason Leonard, chairman of the British & Irish Lions, said: “After reviewing information relating to the various contingency scenarios being considered, I can confirm that the board’s intended position is for the tour to go ahead as scheduled in South Africa in 2021.
“We acknowledge that there is a significant amount of work still to be undertaken to deliver a robust Covid-19 countermeasure plan to ensure a successful, safe and uninterrupted Tour. SA Rugby will have our full support to help implement this plan.”
Mark Alexander, president of the SA Rugby, said he would inform the executive council of the South African Rugby Union of the alignment. “We appreciate the Lions’ faith and share their desire to see a safe and successful tour,” he added. “We have been in regular contact with our government to make that a reality against the backdrop of the pandemic and its predicted progression over the coming months.
“There are serious financial implications for SA Rugby, should the event take place without any supporters in attendance, and we cannot ignore that in our considerations. But we are determined that the eventual outcome will deliver the best occasion and experience for players, supporters and our commercial partners.”
Alexander said the original tour schedule was subject to review because of those considerations. Should any changes be required they will be communicated as soon as possible.
Leonard added: “Every British and Irish player dreams of wearing the famous red jersey, and players from the southern hemisphere aspire to be part of a Lions series. We owe it to the current players vying for a place in both squads to ensure they can become part of Lions history. We are very much looking forward to taking on South Africa for what promises to be a highly-competitive series against the reigning world champions.”
As per the current schedule the Lions will play a “home” match against Japan at BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 26 June. They will then travel to South Africa for an eight-match tour, starting with five warm-up games and then three Tests against the Springboks.
British & Irish Lions 2021 tour of South Africa
After their clash against Japan in Scotland, the British & Irish Lions travel to South Africa for their eight-match tour. The Lions play five warm-up matches before facing the Springboks, the reigning World Cup holders, in three Test matches.
- Saturday 26 June: British & Irish Lions vs. Japan (BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
- Saturday 3 July: Emirates Lions vs. The British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg; 5pm BST)
- Wednesday 7 July: Cell C Sharks vs. The British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg; 7pm BST)
- Saturday 10 July: Vodacom Bulls vs. The British & Irish Lions (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria; 5pm BST)
- Wednesday 14 July: South Africa ‘A’ vs. The British & Irish Lions (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town; 7pm BST)
- Saturday 17 July: DHL Stormers vs. The British & Irish Lions (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town; 5pm BST)
- Saturday 24 July: Springboks vs. The British & Irish Lions (1st Test, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town; 5pm BST)
- Saturday 31 July: Springboks vs. The British & Irish Lions (2nd Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg; 5pm BST)
- Saturday 7 August: Springboks vs. The British & Irish Lions (3rd Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg; 5pm BST)
Main image: lionsrugby.com