British and Irish Lions Tour still in doubt with D-Day set - report

The 2021 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa is still not guaranteed to take place due to Coivd-19 with its scheduled dates and the tour entirely still under threat.

According to the Rapport newspaper, SA Rugby and their British & Irish Lions counterparts will in all likelihood have to make a final decision on whether the tour goes ahead by March 2021.

This comes after a second wave of Covid-19 hit the UK in recent weeks with England currently enduring a month-long lockdown. There have been reports that the tour could be delayed to later in 2021 with October-November suggested as a potential window with July-August possibly too soon.

The move could mean the Springboks are better prepared for the Lions as SA Rugby President Mark Alexandre confirmed that they are looking to organise three or four tests before the Lions arrive in the Republic. As it stands, the Springboks will not play a single test between the World Cup Final victory over England and the first test against the Lions next year.

The British and Irish Lions 2021 fixtures:

July 3 v Stormers, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

July 7 v South Africa ‘Invitational’, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

July 10 v Sharks, Kings Park, Durban

July 14 v South Africa ‘A’, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

July 17 v Bulls, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

July 24 v 1st Test South Africa, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg

July 31, 2nd Test South Africa, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

August 7, 3rd Test South Africa, Ellis Park, Johannesburg