The Six Nations has confirmed the remaining fixtures in the delayed 2020 championship will be played in late October, but the concluding games are set to be staged in front of significantly reduced crowds unless the Covid-19 outlook improves significantly.
Following the abrupt suspension of the tournament in March, the organisers say they are “hugely excited” at the prospect of the men’s Six Nations concluding with a “Super Saturday” on 31 October, with England facing Italy in Rome, Wales playing Scotland and France hosting Ireland. The Ireland v Italy game has also been rescheduled for the previous weekend but the IRFU acknowledges it is “increasingly unlikely a capacity crowd” will be present.
Currently only 200 people are permitted to attend outdoor sporting events in Ireland while plans to allow crowds back to British stadiums have been placed on hold. The French Rugby federation has also confirmed that all tickets issued for the France-Ireland game have been cancelled and will not be valid for the rescheduled fixture.
Six Nations organisers, accordingly, are still not in a position to say how many fans, if any, will be in attendance, with the venue for the Wales v Scotland game also still unconfirmed as a result. “In rescheduling these matches, the health and safety of players, associated staff and supporters has been at the forefront of our thinking,” read a Six Nations statement. “We remain in close contact with all relevant authorities across the respective jurisdictions to ensure these matches take place in a safe environment and we will announce further details of health and safety protocols and guidance on spectator attendance in due course.”
The Women’s Six Nations will not be completed until 5 December while this year’s Under-20 tournament has been abandoned with no winner declared, but the Six Nations’ chief executive, Ben Morel, remains determined to ensure the senior competition is played to a conclusion.
“We are absolutely thrilled to make this announcement today,” said Morel. “Whilst the past few months have been extremely challenging, we have always remained hopeful of concluding this year’s tournament and we are really looking forward to the final games in the men’s and women’s championships. There is still so much to play for, and we are hugely excited for what lies ahead.
“Public health remains the number one priority and while we must continue to be vigilant and cognisant of the dynamic and fast changing external environment, we are nonetheless extremely pleased to be moving in the right direction.”
Encouragingly, too, the latest round of Premiership testing has produced just two positives – one player and one club staff member – out of 917 individuals tested. With the league due to restart on Friday week, it continues the downward trend since the opening weekend of testing in early July when 10 people tested positive. Those who have tested positive and their close contacts will now isolate and be assessed in line with the PHE-agreed guidelines.
Cardiff Blues’ vastly experienced No 8 Nick Williams has announced his retirement from rugby at the age of 35. The New Zealander enjoyed a 16-year career, and played 77 games for the Blues after joining the region from Ulster in 2016.
