THE SPRINGBOKS HAVE been cleared to return to training ahead of their scheduled clash with Georgia on Friday in Pretoria.

Three positive Covid-19 cases in the Springboks camp following PCR testing yesterday had brought their schedule to a halt as the entire squad was placed into self-isolation.

However, the Springboks now report that one of the three players who tested positive, scrum-half Herschel Jantjies, has “subsequently been cleared and can return to training.”

Jantjies will join the rest of the Springboks squad in resuming training today based on feedback from SA Rugby’s ‘Lions Series Medical Advisory Group.’

A statement from SA Rugby said the swift return to training is in part due to “the strict precautionary measures taken by the team and the effective isolation protocols since the squad assembled.”

This return to the pitch comes as a huge relief for Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber, whose side have not played since the 2019 World Cup final.

The two warm-up clashes against Georgia this Friday at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria and the following Friday at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg will therefore be essential as they prepare for the three-Test series against the Lions, which begins on 24 July.

The Springboks will name their matchday 23 for the first clash against Georgia tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Lions landed in Johannesburg this morning as South Africa moved into Level 4 lockdown amidst an alarming surge of Covid-19 cases.

The province of Gauteng, where Johannesburg and Pretoria are located, is the epicentre of the latest wave of the virus.

The Lions are currently due to play five of their eight games in Gauteng, including this Saturday’s meeting with the Golden Lions, but it looks increasingly likely that all fixtures will be relocated to Cape Town following this weekend’s clash in Johannesburg.