DURBAN – The Springboks' Test match against Georgia on Friday in Pretoria is in doubt after three Boks tested for Covid-19 in Johannesburg on Sunday.
The Boks cancelled Sunday’s planned training session in Johannesburg as a precautionary measure when scheduled testing protocols returned the three positive results when the team assembled on Saturday.
Three players tested positive for the virus following stringent real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing procedures on arrival at the team base.
🚫 The Boks cancelled Sunday’s training session in Johannesburg as a precautionary measure after scheduled testing returned three positive COVID-results
— Springboks (@Springboks) June 27, 2021
👉 More here: https://t.co/iMub3drpNv
Team management immediately put the squad into self-isolation as a precaution until specialist medical advice is sought from the Lions Series Medical Advisory Group (MAG).
A decision on further team activities will be made shortly, SA Rugby said in a statement.
SA Rugby Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus emphasised that the team had followed all the necessary precautions since the start of the three-week conditioning camp hosted in Bloemfontein, which included mandatory Covid-19 testing three times a week, and that they would be led by specialist advice before any action is taken.
ALSO READ: ‘Intensity 10 times higher’: Bongi Mbonambi warns Springboks about Georgia scrum
The Boks have not played a match since winning the World Cup final in November 2019, so if their return to action this week is canceled, it will be a severe blow not only to Siya Koli’s team but also to the imminent tour of the British and Irish Lions.
The Lions depart the UK today and arrive in South Africa tomorrow to the news that Cofid has hit the Boks.
IOL Sport