South African Rugby has no immediate plans to change the dates of the British & Irish Lions tour in 2021 but says it is conducting scenario planning around a possible switch due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was reported that while each home union will receive in the region of 2 million pounds ($2.48 million) for the use of their players on the Lions tour, they can make at least double that by hosting a single test at a sold-out home stadium. The Lions tour has a planned July 3 start, with the three tests on consecutive weekends from July 24 onwards. The dates also clash with the revised schedule for the Tokyo Olympics, although both the Lions and SA Rugby have previously said they will not move the tour because of this. World Rugby will reportedly review the use of the July international window in future years and could move Lions tours, which happen every four years in either New Zealand, Australia or South Africa, to later in the season.

Source: The Star May 05, 2020 01:52 UTC