British and Irish Lions tour ‘to go ahead in South Africa behind closed doors’

The British and Irish Lions tour will go ahead in South Africa as first planned, with the series set to be played behind closed doors.

As Sportsmail reported on Monday, the RFU supported moves to resurrect the tour in South Africa amid concerns whether it would go ahead due to an uprise in coronavirus cases.

Former Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Martyn Phillips has had to be hurriedly brought in to deputise for Lions managing director Ben Calveley, who has been signed off from work duties on medical grounds. 

The British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa will be staged behind closed doors this summer

This disruptive development comes in a week which is regarded as the deadline for making a decision about the Covid-blighted 2021 tour. 

There had been suggestions that the tour could be relocated, with Australia offering to host the series while claims that the UK and Ireland could host gathered momentum.

And The Telegraph reports that the plan of relocating the series to the UK and Ireland have been dismissed by the Lions board, owing to time, logistics and expense issues. 

As such, the series will go ahead in South Africa as initially planned, but it will be staged without fans. 

More to follow.