CONFIRMED: B&I Lions to face Sharks...again

NEWS: The British & Irish Lions will play back-to-back matches against the Sharks to ensure the tourists can continue to prepare for the Test series against the Springboks later this month, it was announced on Thursday.

SA Rugby and the B&I Lions have agreed to replace the Bulls with the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (kick-off 18.00 SAT, 17.00 BST), after the former was ruled out because of COVID-19 infections.

The B&I Lions beat the Sharks 54-7 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Wednesday in the second match of the Lions Series. The tourists had opened their account at the same venue with a 56-14 victory over the Sigma Lions on Saturday.

“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,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby.

“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 change has meant that the Sharks’ match against the Lions in the Currie Cup on Saturday has been cancelled with a decision on the points allocation to be confirmed.

“We’re very grateful to the Sharks for agreeing to play us again this Saturday at Loftus Versfeld,” said Ben Calveley, Managing Director for The British & Irish Lions.

“We have further COVID-19 testing scheduled for today [Thursday] and tomorrow. 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.”