Johannesburg – The match between the Lions and Pumas on Saturday at Emirates Airline Park has been postponed due to Covid-19 protocols, it was announced by SA Rugby on Friday.
The postponement is due to two positives tests returning to Pumas on Friday morning, after earlier in the week one player from the Nelspruit-based team had initially tested positive for the virus.
The tests on Friday morning triggered the National Institute for Communicable Diseases’ protocols which advised that the encounter not go ahead as scheduled “to limit the risk of further infection in the rugby community.”
It was further revealed that the infection occurred within the Pumas forwards, especially a group of players that were involved in a scrumming session and as a result the entire Pumas pack will now enter a 10-day period of self-isolation and quarantine.
That period also puts the Pumas final Super Rugby Unlocked match against the Blue Bulls in jeopardy next weekend, but as explained by the SA Rugby statement, a workaround was being considered to reschedule not only that encounter at Loftus Versveld, but also the match against the Lions.
