France yet to decide if visiting players must be double vaxxed
SFrance will host Italy in Paris on February 7 and England on March 30
ix Nations teams have yet to hear if the French government will insist on visiting players to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for the 2022 series.
From January 15, all professional sportspeople in France must be fully jabbed, and The Daily Telegraph reported that the government “will confirm whether the mandatory requirement will also apply to visiting teams from outside the country”.
If Emmanuel Macron’s government decides that overseas players will have to comply it could have implications for France’s Six Nations rivals.
France host Italy in Paris on February 7 and Ireland six days before finishing their campaign with a March 30 test with Eddie Jones’ England team.
England’s first choice centre Henry Slade said last May that he was not going to have a vaccine.
News reports have revealed that 98 per cent of professional rugby players in France are fully vaccinated.
The French government have capped sporting attendances at 5000 for the
next three weeks with spectators required to display COVID passports.
The vaccination issue could also potentially affect the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup competitions with British and Irish clubs looking for early answers from the authorities.
Champions Cup entrants Munster (Ireland), Bath and Sale (England) and Scarlets (Wales) are due to play in France between January 15 and 17 – the first weekend the vaccinations mandate comes in.
Leicester Tigers, Connacht, Northampton Saints and Exeter Chiefs are set to visit France the following weekend.