RUGBY NEWS - The British and Irish Lions will play a hastily-arranged second match against the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, South African Rugby announced on Thursday.
The fixture will replace the originally-scheduled match against the Pretoria-based Bulls after several Bulls players tested positive for Covid-19.
Ben Calveley, managing director for the Lions, said he was grateful for the replacement fixture, but warned that it was dependant on Covid testing in the Lions camp.
One player and one member of the touring staff tested positive on Wednesday, forcing coach Warren Gatland to make eight changes in his 23-man squad ahead of their first match against the Sharks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg because of close contacts with the infected personnel.
Despite the late changes and the disrupted preparation, the Lions won 54-7. They have yet to face meaningful opposition in South Africa after beating the Johannesburg-based Lions 56-14 in their opening fixture last Saturday.
"We have further Covid-19 testing scheduled for today and tomorrow," said Calveley. "The results of those tests will determine whether we will be able fulfil this fixture, but, as it stands, we are optimistic.
"We remain committed to the tour in South Africa and determined to rise to the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The replacement fixture will enable the Lions to try out further combinations ahead of their three-match Test series against the world champion Springboks, starting in Cape Town on July 24.
"The Lions are here to play rugby, not sit in bio-secure environments, so we have had to be nimble to find a replacement opponent," said SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux.
"The choice of the Sharks was dictated by the fact that they have been in a bubble, have returned negative tests throughout and were prepared to take on the fixture.
“No other team in the country could meet those conditions right now without going into a five-day lockdown. It is not an ideal situation, but Covid-19 has made sure that we do not live in an ideal world."
The Sharks were due to play a domestic Currie Cup fixture against the Johannesburg Lions on Saturday, but this fixture has been postponed.
