The Lions have NO concerns about the South Africa tour, insists Conor Murray, despite mounting Covid fears with the nation in lockdown as the newly-appointed captain says: ‘We’re here to put a smile on people’s faces’
- Lions have no regrets about the tour in South Africa, says captain Conor Murray
- The country is in the grip of a worrying Covid lockdown amid rising cases
- The team will play all three of their Tests against in the Springboks in Cape Town
- Murray says there is a ‘good buzz’ in the squad and an aim to make people happy
Conor Murray delivered a captain’s message about lifting the spirits of the nation as the Lions stepped up preparations for their opening game in locked-down South Africa.
The squad have not left the confines of their hotel and training complex since landing on Monday, surrounded by a deadly backdrop of spiralling Covid-19 cases and strict curfews.
Alcohol sales and public gatherings are banned throughout the country, where the tourists play their first fixture against the Emirates Lions at a crowd-less Ellis Park on Saturday.
New Lions captain Conor Murray insists the squad are focused on their tour and do not have doubts despite mounting Covid fears in South Africa
‘Obviously we’re very aware of what’s going on outside with the lockdown,’ said Murray, who took over as captain after Alun Wyn Jones’s tour-ending injury.
‘The protocols are in place and we’re here to hopefully put a smile on people’s faces, here and even back home. Since we’ve been here when the bus is stopping in traffic lights, we’ve had people beeping, waving and smiling at us. So there’s a good buzz around us being here.
‘We’re obviously very aware of the situation outside the hotel. We literally go from the hotel to the training ground, so we’re very much restricted in our movements as well. We’re very lucky to be able to do what we’re doing and we’re very focused on putting on a show for people.’
The Lions enjoyed a welcome braai (local barbecue) upon their arrival, before quickly shifting their focus towards this weekend’s provincial fixture. Yesterday they had their first training session at their new base in Gauteng.
In order to swiftly bed himself in as tour captain, Murray picked the brains of his fellow Irishmen Rory Best and Peter O’Mahony — as well as Jones himself.
Warren Gatland’s men have been hit by chaos already but the players just want to make people smile, insists Murray
‘It’s been a crazy couple of days,’ said Murray. ‘There was sadness lingering after we lost Alun and Justin Tipuric. Warren Gatland came up to me before our caps ceremony on Saturday night and asked me if I wanted to take over as tour captain. I answered straight away, “Yes, it would be brilliant”. Hopefully it’s something we can lead into smoothly and carry on from where Alun left us.
‘I caught up with Alun on Sunday morning and he said, “Just be yourself, just continue what you’ve been doing over the past two tours”. He gave me a pat on the shoulder and said he had full faith in me. He said he’s at the end of the phone if anything crops up. His words are really important to me.’
Gatland’s show of faith in Murray puts him in the driving seat to wear the No 9 jersey in the Tests against the Springboks — should the tour reach its climax without being derailed by further Covid-19 outbreaks. However, Murray insisted he has been given no selection guarantees by the management.
‘It doesn’t mean that for a minute,’ he said. ‘We’ve seen it before on Lions tours when captains haven’t started. I’ve got to remain myself and keep doing what I’ve been doing because the aim is to be in contention for the Test day squad and play in the Test matches.
‘Playing in the Test matches is what it’s all about. The seriousness of why we’re here is going to take over and there will be an edge to training. The battle for matchday places and squads is really up and running. You can see it already in people’s body language.’
The Springboks begin their preparations with a Test match against Georgia on Friday, when they will hand debuts to wingers Rosko Specman and Aphelele Fassi.
Speaking at yesterday’s team announcement, South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber defended the decision to persist with the tour against the backdrop of increasing chaos.
‘I can’t see that the tour will be in jeopardy,’ said Nienaber. ‘I am not an expert in virology but I think they are trying to mitigate the risk of infection as much as they can.
‘We adhere to those protocols and there isn’t a player who does not want to participate in this tour because it is such a special tour. It only comes around once every 12 years.
‘With a virus you cannot completely take away the risk but the precautions being taken to keep us as safe as possible are magical and we’re abiding by them.’