France call off Irish clash to compound Six Nations turmoil
The Guinness Six Nations match between France and Ireland has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak, but tournament organisers have confirmed that Wales versus Scotland will go ahead on Saturday.
With the Ireland v Italy and Italy v England fixtures having been postponed already, the climax to the championship is set to take place in the autumn. Organisers are believed to be looking at Oct 31 as the date for Italy v England and France v Ireland, games which will decide the title. England are in pole position, heading the table on points difference from France, whose Grand Slam attempt was ended by Scotland on Sunday.
The decision to postpone the France v Ireland game was taken by the French government, which has banned gatherings of more than 1,000 in an attempt to contain the spread of the disease. Roxana Maracineanu, France’s sports minister, announced yesterday that the match at the Stade de France had been postponed after an “agreement with the French Rugby Federation and tournament organisers”.
The women’s tournament has also been badly affected, with the Wales v Scotland match being called off after a Scottish player tested positive for coronavirus. A further seven members of the Scotland camp, including players and management, are in self-isolation.
A statement from the Six Nations said: “Following instructions received from the authorities in France, the decision has been made to postpone the round five Guinness Six Nations match between France and Ireland. We are still awaiting confirmation for the Women’s and U20s fixtures. The Wales v Scotland Six Nations and U20s Six Nations matches will be going ahead as scheduled.”
Should Italy v England be moved to the Hallowe’en date, then Eddie Jones’s team would face the prospect of playing on five consecutive weekends. Their autumn international Test series includes fixtures against New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga and Australia.
The results have an added significance, given the draw for the 2023 World Cup pools is made at the end of year. England are currently ranked third by World Rugby and would qualify for the top band of seeds, alongside South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland.
Even if the fixture occurs outside the recognised international window, there is a provision in the Professional Game Agreement between the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby for clubs to release their England players in the event of a postponed match. However, it is unclear whether Italian players based in the Premiership, such as Jake Polledri, would be released.
The only previous occasion in which the Six Nations was moved to the autumn came during the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001. That led to three Ireland games being rescheduled in September and October, as England’s attempt at a Grand Slam came unstuck in Dublin.
The Six Nations statement continued: “Six Nations and its constituent unions and federations will work closely to identify dates on which postponed matches will take place. No immediate announcement will be made on rescheduling as we will need to discuss with all relevant stakeholders and assess the evolution of the situation.”
Meanwhile, European Professional Club Rugby, organisers of European club competition, has said it has “currently envisaged” that the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup quarter-finals, including Leinster v Saracens and Exeter v Northampton, will go ahead on the first weekend of April.
A statement said: “EPCR intends to complete all eight fixtures and will monitor developments while liaising with the relevant league and union bodies, as well as governments and local authorities.”