KICKOFF IN THE British and Irish Lions second match in South Africa next Wednesday has been brought forward by one hour to avoid clashing with a Euro 2020 semi-final.
The game between the Sharks and the tourists in Johannesburg will now start at 7pm local time (6pm in Ireland) and finish before the second Euro semi-final kicks off at 8pm in London. England will feature in that last-four encounter if they beat Ukraine in their quarter-final this Saturday.
“We discussed the idea with broadcasters and they were all aligned that it made sense from the perspective of sports fans,” South African Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux said in a statement.
British and Irish Lions managing director Ben Calveley said: “This is a sensible decision made with the fans’ best interests at heart. We are fully supportive.”
Although football is the most followed sport in South Africa, the world-champion Springboks generally draw much larger crowds than the underachieving national football team, which is ranked only 15th in Africa.
