Ulster man Iain Henderson led the British and Irish Lions to a resounding 54-7 win over the Sharks in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
It was the first time the 29-year-old had skippered the Lions.
Match organisers confirmed the tie was on less than two hours before kick-off after a Lions player and a member of their backroom staff tested positive.
Lions boss Warren Gatland was forced to make eight changes following the news players had to isolate.
In spite of the chaos off the pitch, full-back Josh Adams and wing Duhan van der Merwe claimed a hat-trick each for a dominant win.
Lions managing director Ben Calveley has already ruled out the possibility of finishing the tour in the UK as Covid continuous to grip South Africa and cases are rising daily.
"All the games are important, but the Test series is paramount. We're here in South Africa and our intention is to get the games over the line in South Africa,'' Calveley told Sky Sports
Also on Wednesday, South Africa's fixture against Georgia was cancelled after Covid outbreaks in both camps.
The Lions' match against the Bulls on Saturday (10 July) has also been postponed due to positive coronavirus cases in the South African Side.
In March, Lions Tour organisers rejectected a plan to play at home or in Australia and decided in the end to go ahead with their tour to South Africa.
Line-ups for last night's game
Cell C Sharks: Libbok; Kok, Ward, Louw, Abrahams; Bosch, Hendrikse; Mona, Mbatha, Mchunu, Van Heerden, Andrews, Venter, Bholi, Buthelezi (capt).
Replacements: Van Vuuren, Mchunu, Herbst, Van der Mescht, Hugo, Richardson, Williams,Volmink.
British and Irish Lions: Adams, Rees-Zammit, Daly, Aki, Van der Merwe; Farrell, Price; Vunipola, Cowan-Dickie, Fagerson, Henderson (capt), Beard, Navidi, Curry, Simmonds.
Replacements: Owens, Sutherland, Furlong, Itoje, Conan, H Watson, Russell, Faletau
