SA Rugby revealed that the entire squad and management had gone for PCR tests on Tuesday morning and would remain in isolation until those results are returned as a precaution.
JOHANNESBURG – The Springbok team announcement scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed until further notice, SA Rugby confirmed in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.
Bok lock Lood de Jager tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday in scheduled testing and due to his close proximity to his teammates, the entire squad was put into self-isolation by the medical advisory group (MAG).
The union revealed that the entire squad and management had gone for PCR tests on Tuesday morning and would remain in isolation until those results are returned as a precaution, with recommendations from the MAG to be considered at that time.
The Boks are supposed to play against Georgia on Friday night at Emirates Airline Park in the second Test. That fixture could possibly be in jeopardy of being cancelled or postponed should the cluster within the camp be more severe than the current singular positive result. To compound the uncertainty surrounding the encounter, Georgia also cancelled all their media opportunities on Tuesday.
It was expected that the matchday 23 to face the Georgians on the day would have possibly represented the first choice team to play the British and Irish Lions later this month, as a raft of overseas-based players were expected to be selected by Bok coach Jacques Nienaber.
It could be a huge setback for the world champions if they are unable to honour the fixture, as it will surely hamper their preparations going forward.
The B&I Lions, meanwhile, are still set to play the Sharks on Wednesday at Emirates Airline Park. Kick-off for that match was brought forward to align with level 4 lockdown, and will now start at 6pm.
