British and Irish Lions set to play in EMPTY stadiums in South Africa as coronavirus third wave rips through country

WARREN GATLAND’S Lions will have to take on the world champions in empty stadiums as South Africa braces itself for a third wave of the pandemic.

Tour chiefs are ramping up plans to stage all events behind closed doors as coronavirus bites during the Southern hemisphere winter months.

Fans who have bought tickets are being refunded and the UK government have told supporters not to travel to the red-list country.

The plans will also have a huge knock-on for the finances of both the Lions and South Africa Rugby – who are now expected to lose money from this summer’s showpiece event.

This week a study found that the South Africa’s official death rate of 55,000 was likely to be wildly wrong.

In fact experts expect the total deaths to be more than double that at around 133,000 – the fifth highest in the world and more than the UK.

Their vaccination drive has also been chaotic with just 400,000 jabs given out.

But Boks rugby boss Jurie Roux said: “We’re delighted to be able to finally confirm the revised schedule after months of scenario planning and shifting circumstances.

“It has been a challenging process with dozens of variables to consider, but we believe we have arrived at a schedule that minimises the risks associated with the pandemic.

“We are hopeful that restrictions on attendance at sports events will be relaxed but, for the moment, we are planning for an event behind closed doors.

“If that requirement changes, then we’ll assess the options available and make the necessary decisions based on the restrictions in place.

“I would like to thank our supporters and commercial partners for their patience over these many months.

“This is not the Castle Lager Lions Series we imagined when we started our planning more than two and a half years ago.

“But, in the circumstances, I think it is an exciting prospect.

“After all the uncertainty it’s a relief to be able to put a stake in the ground and confirm what the series will look like.

“I’m sure most of us can’t now wait for kick off.

“The scenarios changed on a weekly basis with options on three different continents workshopped and interrogated over the past few months to reach this point.

“Throughout we have had a single-minded goal to ensure the series went ahead.

“The British Irish Lions only visit our shores once every 12 years and to deny our players and our supporters the opportunity of sharing in the experience of what is invariably an event that passes into folklore would have been a devastating blow.

“We’re now ready to deliver the series.”

As not all Lions players and staff will have been vaccinated before taking on The Springboks next month, the schedule has also finally been confirmed.

As expected, Gatland’s side will be based in Johannesburg and Cape Town with all games in the major cities, bar one held in Pretoria – just north of Joburg.

A Lions statement said: “All eight matches of the Tour will be played in Gauteng or Cape Town to minimise the risks of disruption that could be caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The schedule accommodates stable team bases and training venues and significantly reduces travel.”

Lions managing director Ben Calveley added: “The Covid-19 pandemic has caused considerable disruption to the global sporting calendar, but after discussions with our partners at SA Rugby, we are very pleased to be able to give confirmation of the revised tour schedule.

“While things will undoubtedly look different to a typical Lions Tour, together with SA Rugby we are determined to deliver an uninterrupted series for the players who will take the field, as well as the many millions of people watching at home.

“We would like to thank all Lions supporters for their patience and understanding as we continue to navigate our way through the impact of the pandemic, and also extend our enormous gratitude to our commercial partners for their incredible ongoing support.”