Durban innocent? URC chief reveals overseas sides could've brought stomach bugs into SA

Durban's ailing water infrastructure could be off the hook for the severe and widespread gastroenteritis that dogged Ulster and Glasgow last week and led to the controversial postponing of their URC fixtures against the Sharks and Lions respectively.

Martin Anayi, chief executive of the tournament, on Tuesday confirmed that both teams had been suffering from, rather freakishly, cases of E.coli (which is bacterial) as well as the viral norovirus and were simply took stricken to even participate in delayed matches.

However, while he reiterated that the independent medical review is still ongoing, there's evidence to suggest that the overseas teams brought the respective afflictions to South Africa with them and didn't necessarily become infected in Durban, a popular theory emanating from the city's sewage system collapsing after April's devastating floods.

"Initial indications are that the two squads were affected by two separate bugs within their groups, which means E.coli and noro were found among players," Anayi told a media call.

"There are also some indications that they might've brought it with them, so there's a lot to go into. The medical review is ongoing and we'll be going into that."

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Norovirus, according to Britain's own National Health Service, is nicknamed the "winter vomiting bug", which gives credence to the possibility of it being picked up in the northern hemisphere already.

Regardless of its origin, there was simply no scope for the matches to be played last weekend. 

"The reality is that we took medical advice, like we always do in these situations. The view very clearly from the independent doctor was that we had