[Photo: Dan Sheridan]

Irish Rugby Football Union is now exploring the possibility of pressing ahead with three Tests in the Pacific Islands, either in Fiji or Tonga.

IRFU has abandoned plans to re-route some of their proposed summer tour to Australia and has instead sorted to come to the Pacific in July.

Fiji Rugby and World Rugby are very keen on having a three-Test series to go ahead on July 4th, 11th, and 18th.

However, such a tour looks logistically very problematic given the routes required to travel there for a squad of up to 50 or 60, including backroom staff, and the other risks.

Any Irish squad would have to undergo a period in quarantine on arrival.

And if traveling back through Dubai, it is a requirement by law to undergo 14 days of quarantine on returning to Ireland as well.

One option being explored, instead of the original and more traditional eight-match tour, is a four-Test series after a warm-up game against Japan in Murrayfield, so as to have the Lions squad in one, or two, bases.

This would reduce costs and control the risk of Covid-19 by creating as few bubbles as possible.

All these reasons seem more plausible in light of Ireland’s handsome win over England in their final Six Nations game.

All will have to be decided in the next week or two.