Welsh U-turn on Scotland game came after football’s big decision
● WRU admits it called off the Six Nations match partly due to fear of bad publicity
Scotland thought they were going to be the only show in town today, with their final Six Nations fixture against Wales in Cardiff looking likely to be the one major sporting event to be played despite the coronavirus pandemic that had wreaked havoc with the calendar.
However, the nationwide postponement of football fixtures prompted a U-turn by the Welsh Rugby Union which called the game off.
The WRU had insisted yesterday morning that the game would be played before a 74,500-capacity crowd at the Principality Stadium despite the coronavirus outbreak.
But less than five hours later, the Welsh governing body called the match off, chairman Gareth Davies saying that the WRU found itself “probably the lightning rod for the virus, and for the publicity”.
“It’s been a tough week,” said Davies, who told BBC Radio Wales that the WRU had given the go-ahead to the game being played at an emergency board meeting on Thursday night.
“We obviously followed the advice of the central government, Welsh government in terms of the scientific and medical evidence and that was the case until last night [Thursday] when we met to consider everything.
“We still thought that bearing in mind the advice that wasthewaytogo.thepremier League, for example, were carrying on but that had changed for maybe obvious reasons.
“The English Football League went on a similar course, as did the Celtic-rangers game, so I think we found ourselves probably the lightning rod for the virus and for the publicity.
“We spoke to government this morning who totally understood our position.”
An earlier WRU statement, announcing the postponement of the fixture, said “every effort has been made to
George North makes a pass during the Wales team’s Captain’s Run at the Principality Stadium yesterday before the match was called off.
stage this game” and that the governing body “appreciates that individuals will have been inconvenienced”.
The WRU added that further announcements with respect to rescheduling the fixture would be made “in the coming days”.
It becomes the fourth game tobepostponedinthisseason’s Six Nations. Ireland’s matches against Italy and France had
already been called off, in addition to England’s appointment with Italy in Rome.
No dates for rearranged games have yet been announced, although late October is thought to be an option.
The Scotland squad, meanwhile, had arrived in Cardiff and trained at the Principality Stadium on Friday.
A Scottish Rugby spokesperson said: “Scottish Rugby has acknowledged the decision of the WRU to postpone tomorrow’s Guinness Six Nations match in Cardiff.
“While it is disappointing the fixture could not go ahead, there are clearly wider public safety issues unfolding at this unprecedented time.
We support the WRU in the difficult decision they have had to make and will continue to have a strong relationship with them going forward.
“All the Scotland players and management team would like to pass on their thanks to the Scotland fans who were aiming to attend the match, and share their disappointment this game now will not be played.
“The team will aim to return to Scotland at the earliest opportunity.”
It is understood the squad returned to Edinburgh last night.
Scotland were looking to maintain a run in which they had beaten Italy and then
France after they had lost narrowly their opening two matches of this season’s Six Nations against Ireland and England.
Scotland have not won three games in a row in the Championship since 1996 and a victory in Cardiff would have put them top of the table, for the time being at least.
Had the game gone ahead, Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones would have equalled the world record held by New Zealand’s World Cup-winning skipper Richie Mccaw of 148 Test match appearances.
But that feat will now be put on hold probably until the summer, when Wales play Tests against New Zealand in Auckland and Wellington.