Bulls v Munster: Irish province's URC game is called off amid new Covid variant in South Africa

Munster are third in the United Rugby Championship table after winning four of their opening five games

Munster's URC match against the Bulls on Saturday has been postponed following the detection of a new Covid-19 variant in southern Africa.

Cardiff and Scarlets were also supposed to be playing in South Africa but are making arrangements to fly home.

Travel restrictions from six southern African countries took effect in the UK from 12:00 GMT on Friday.

Fixtures to be held this and next weekend in South Africa will be rescheduled.

The URC said they were currently working with the four clubs visiting South Africa - Munster, Cardiff, Scarlets and Zebre - to facilitate their return home as soon as possible.

Munster were scheduled to play the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday, the same day as the Sharks are down to face Scarlets in Durban, with Cardiff supposed to be playing the Lions in Johannesburg on Sunday.

The announcement of the new Covid-19 variant also led 15 British and Irish golfers to pull out of the Joburg Open golf event on Friday, which is the first tournament of the DP World Tour, which is the new name for the European Tour.

Those who withdrew from the golf event included Northern Ireland duo Jonathan Caldwell and Cormac Sharvin plus Irish pair Niall Kearney and Paul Dunne, with all four making arrangements to fly home.

Next week's South African Open - which was to be a DP World Tour event - will now be just a Sunshine Tour event while Alfred Dunhill Championship scheduled for 9-12 December has been cancelled because of the adverse effects travel restrictions would have on the field.

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said from 12:00 GMT on Friday, six countries in southern Africa would be added to the country's red travel list following the detection of the new Covid-19 variant.

Any British resident arriving from the countries after 04:00 GMT on Sunday must quarantine in a hotel while those returning before that will be asked to isolate at home for 10 days.

European Union Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen also said on Friday morning that the commission was set to propose stopping air travel from the southern African region amid the rising concern over the new Covid-19 variant.

Munster were also scheduled to face the Lions next weekend with Cardiff and Scarlets also supposed to be involved in a further URC fixture in South Africa next weekend.

The clubs' next matches will now be in the upcoming European window which begins in two weeks.