South Africa is looking forward to the Lions’ rugby journey to address the economic crisis

The British and Irish rugby team will play the first game of their six-week tour of South Africa on Saturday, despite the spread of coronavirus in the host country which has forced the entire Springboks team to secede.

The Lions’ four-year tour, made up of the best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, is one of the most anticipated events in this year’s rugby calendar and among the most rewarding events of the season.

Despite the worries of playing a high-stakes game set the stage, the skeptics decided to continue with three international matches and five warm-up matches.

The trip donates money not only to the four rugby organizations that are affiliated with the Lions and the host country. This strike is especially needed after 18 months of economic hardship and epidemics.

The Lions’ last trip to New Zealand in 2017 was worth NZ $ 245m in national interest, according to New Zealand Rugby, which made a profit of NZ $ 33.4m that year.

“They will do whatever they can to make this happen,” said Steve Martin, global executive director of M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment. “The Lions are moving, because it’s only once in four years, they have to benefit from it.”

However, expressing concern about the trip, the game will be played in open stadiums. This does not mean that there will be no home payment helpers and none of the thousands of British and Irish fans who regularly visit the Lions’ lineup, as well as those who strongly promote the country’s economy. More than 342,000 seats were filled in 2017 and about 26,000 visitors came to New Zealand to see.

Mark Alexander, President of the South African Rugby Union, a domestic watchdog, told local reporters this week that the Lions’ tour would continue but that it was “funny to have spectators in times of crisis”.

However, all South African clubs and amateur rugby clubs are suspended in the middle of a dangerous third wave of the country’s biggest economy, Gauteng.

New cases reported daily in South Africa have affected 13,000 in recent days and hospitals are filling up, with a wave of medical professionals being run by another Delta.

On the day the Lions arrived this week, South Africa entered the second most difficult phase which included a lot of time spent at night and a ban on the sale of alcohol.

Brian Moore, a radio presenter and former England player who played for the Lions in 1989 and 1993, said government officials were forced to make a difficult decision.

“It was kind of like this or not,” he told the Financial Times. “Especially in light of what South Africans have said about the financial crisis, it must continue.”

Lions believe that experimentation, distance from people, wearing face masks, cleaning and the lack of fans help prevent the “protected bubble”. “The South African government and our medical advisory team are happy to continue the journey,” Lions said.

Renovating the game would have been an inexpensive and daunting task because of a game-filled calendar. Organizers also refused to relocate to the UK, where fans this week were able to watch the Euro 2020 football tournament as well as the Wimbledon tennis tournament.

Moore said this would be a very good solution: “The safety of everyone involved should be of paramount concern [and] Unfortunately it has not been delivered. ”

But he added that “if they take the tournament list and show the tournament it will show the strength of the Lions race.”

The preparations for the home team, whose last competitive game against England at the end of the 2019 World Cup, have also been disrupted. The Springboks were forced to drop out of training and put their team apart on the pitch last weekend after three players were tested positive for the virus, despite re-emergence.

While the Lions’ tour continues, SARU chief executive Jurie Roux has warned that rugby in the sporting world is moving “economically strong”.

It reduces costs after the epidemic, which reduces the cost of 7.9m rand in 2020 although dissemination and support fell to 669m rand compared to the 1.3bn rand demonstration.

It expects the fund to support a return of 1bn rand this year, although this is not the case.