These are tough times for men and women in sport as they are confined to doing their workouts behind closed doors as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Frustrating as it may be, Stormers hooker Scarra Ntubeni says the national lockdown is a true test of one's commitment to the sport.

"It's tough but there is nothing we can do, these are hectic times for us," Ntubeni told TruFM, a Bhisho-based radio station in Eastern Cape.

The 29-year-old, originally from East London, says the lockdown will be beneficial to those who are nursing injuries as it will give them time to get back to full fitness, and that was at least a positive.

But he said it will have some serious implications in terms of the conditioning of players.

"The coronavirus is really affecting us because after playing three or four games you start finding your feet and become game fit. So, this is a huge challenge for us because now we have to try by ourselves.

"We have been given exercises to follow but we can't even go to the gym. It's very tricky because it's something that we are not used to.

"It's also difficult training on your own because I am used to having the guys around and we push ourselves. But now this will really test you mentally and your commitment."

The Stormers kicked off their Super Rugby campaign on a high this year by convincingly winning their first four matches.

However, their good run was put to a halt when they were defeated 33-14 at home by the Blues, handing the Cape Town side their first loss of the year.

Matters then went downhill for the Stormers as they failed to get back to their winning ways and suffered their second defeat, a 24-14 loss to the Sharks.

Despite the setbacks, Ntubeni is determined to make this year a memorable one.

"We really wanted this year to be special and our theme for this year is 'Keep Cape Town smiling' because in the past few years we have not been doing well in Super Rugby," concluded the 28-year-old forward.