- South Africa's franchises will have to go into isolation for 10 days before their tour matches against the British & Irish Lions.
- Rassie Erasmus, the national director of rugby, revealed that protocol as part of the effort to keep the integrity of the Boks and Lions' "hard" bubbles intact.
- The protocol is also one of the main reasons why the Springbok squad has been enlarged to 45 players.
South Africa's franchises will also be required to go into isolation before playing their tour fixtures against the British & Irish Lions.
National director of rugby Rassie Erasmus confirmed on Friday the 10-day protocol for the Bulls, Lions, Stormers and Sharks as part of SA Rugby's overall health and safety regulations for the tour.
In hindsight, the rule is quite obvious as both the Springboks and Lions squads will operate in so-called hard bio-bubbles, which would've been undermined had the franchises not also been subjected to stricter protocols.
Currently, the franchises do weekly Covid-19 testing in the Rainbow Cup and keep their home grounds bio-secure, but also rely on players keeping themselves safe in their free time.
"With the midweek teams, our franchises, they'll have to go in a 10-day bubble before their fixtures," said Erasmus.
"That's just the way our Covid-19 protocols for the tour were drafted and approved. In the end, it's all about keeping everyone safe."
That requirement is also one of the main reasons why Erasmus and Springbok head coach, Jacques Nienaber, decided on enlarging the national coach to 45 players, allowing them enough freedom to pick a South Africa 'A' team that won't compromise the bubble.
"It's just one of the factors that will make our selections for the national teams very interesting," said Erasmus.
"Our squad is going to be bigger than the Lions because we have to pick a SA 'A' side and a Springbok team. With due respect, we're also being exposed to the Georgian team coming here.
"There were a lot of intriguing things that shaped how we needed to approach things and how we determined the squad numbers."
However, the protocol will further compound the reservations held by some of the franchises, notably the Bulls and Sharks, over having to balance their resources between the tour matches and the Currie Cup, which starts on 19 June.
Discussions have taken place over measures such as temporarily allowing senior squads bigger than the current 45, particularly in the Sharks' case, who are understood to have at least 12 players of national interest.
The tourists begin their tour against the Lions at Ellis Park on 3 July, before the Sharks (who'll travel to Doornfontein) and Bulls face them over the course of the following week.
The bubble then moves to Cape Town for the fixtures up to the first Test.