Lions card school forced to wear visors and play outside only after Covid outbreak

LIONS stars have been banned from playing Gin Rummy indoors as their popular card school was forced to meet outside and wear visors.

A group of card sharks dodged seven days in coronavirus quarantine after one of Warren Gatland's players received a false positive last week.

So there has been a Covid crackdown to keep the players safe and away from any more scares.

The Lions have also been warned that games that last longer than 15 minutes are a huge risk if there are any more virus scares.

Tour skipper Conor Murray, who will make his first start against the Springboks A on Wednesday, said: "With the card thing, they will probably move it outside and there has been talk of visors coming up and things like that.

"The lads that were under the risk of isolating - I don't think anyone will put themselves in the risk of being close contacts.

"We could have just got away with it at this stage of the tour, but any later, from now on in - if you get caught as a close contact or pick up Covid you are putting yourself under pressure for the big games.

"I think it has been a wake-up call. We have been really good so far, but I think those card games will probably be outside and quick.

"There's been a tightening up of the Covid protocols, but we have been really good so far.

"I've not worn a mask as much as I have done on this tour."

The card school isn't the only thing affected by tightening-up the rules.

After the Lions flew to Cape Town on Sunday they then drove an hour and a half south to their new base in Hermanus.

And boss Warren Gatland added: "We are making sure meetings are 15 minutes or less.

"Some guys initially were playing cards and entertaining themselves and that was 15 minutes or longer - so that's how that happened.

"A couple of people felt they were not close contacts, but we had to go with the recommendations from the medical team and make sure we didn’t take any risks."

Scrum-half Murray is also delighted that the Lions are now down to sea level and have the run of a golf-course hotel all to themselves.

He added: "We are on a resort where we can get out of the hotel. When we were in Johannesburg, we didn’t really have a chance to do that.

"Now that we are halfway through the tour, it’s getting to the serious stuff. This is when it becomes most challenging and enjoyable.

"We are on a golf course. You can see the beach in the distance. You can get out of the hotel and go for a stroll with a few of the lads.

"There’s a chipping green outside which the lads have their eye on already.

"It’s nice to have distractions when things do get serious."