South Africa cancelled a Sunday training session after three unnamed Springbok players tested positive for COVID-19 on the eve on the British & Irish Lions’ departure to the country for a three-test series next month.
The players had been put into isolation and a decision on further team activities would be taken shortly, South African Rugby said in a statement.
The Boks are scheduled to go into a bio-secure environment along with the Lions, who were leaving for South Africa on Sunday, and are also due to play two tests against Georgia on July 2 and 9, their first since they lifted the Rugby World Cup trophy in Japan in November 2019.
The Lions will play eight games on the tour, starting on Saturday against South Africa’s Johannesburg-based Lions franchise.
The three test matches against the Boks will be played on consecutive Saturdays from July 24.
South Africa is in the grip of a third wave of COVID-19 infections, led by the Delta variant that was first discovered in India, with president Cyril Ramaphosa scheduled to address the country later on Sunday when he is expected to announce tighter lockdown regulations.