The Rugby Paper are reporting that the British and Irish Lions are discussing possible non-rugby playing venues for their test matches against South Africa in the summer.
The British and Irish Lions tour has been thrown into complete disarray with the Covid-19 pandemic and the thought of tens of thousands of people travelling as a horde a terrifying ordeal for South African people. Sport is and has been played behind closed doors for quite some time but a Lions tour behind closed doors is just not feasible.
An event which only happens every four years, as iconic as any other sporting event in the world, an honour for the players selected to represent the Lions, this is something that can not be cancelled so organisers are looking into the possibility of holding the 3 test series in the Northern Hemisphere with the Springboks becoming the travelling team. Yes it would be strange but at least it would happen with the majority of people against this major occasion happening behind closed doors.
Now it’s just a case of where they would play the games if it was to happen in northern territory but they have reportedly already decided the stadiums.
Dublin’s Croke Park has reportedly made it to the top of the list with the management ‘earmarking’ the huge stadium for the first test against South Africa. Croke Park has a greater capacity than England’s Twickenham stadium and is the home of GAA in Ireland. The towering stadium would be a brilliant start to the series and if fans are allowed back into stadiums, 82,300 people would be able to see the test.