England’s hopes of clinching the Six Nations title in Italy this month remain alive after tournament organisers decided against postponing any further matches owing to the coronavirus outbreak following an emergency meeting in Paris on Monday. There is the possibility, however, that England complete their fixtures and have to wait until next season to discover if they are crowned champions.
While Ireland’s match against Italy in Dublin has already been postponed, the Six Nations has said that “based on the latest information”, the five remaining matches, including England’s trip to face Italy in Rome on 14 March, are set to go ahead. The organisers stressed they will follow government directives that may yet lead to more postponements. Effectively, as was the case with Ireland’s match against Italy, the organisers and the six unions want the respective governments to make the final decision.
The Six Nations was unable to provide a new date for Ireland v Italy but insisted the intention is to reschedule the fixture and complete the tournament, even though it is unlikely to be earlier than October. Cancellations would cost millions in lost ticket revenue and leave the organisers the considerable problem of how to divide the £16m of prize money.
Monday’s decision means that as things stand England’s home match against Wales on Saturday and France’s trip to Scotland on Sunday will go ahead. Victory over Wales would aid England’s hopes of claiming the Six Nations crown though if France beat Scotland the following day, the tournament could be left in limbo until Ireland against Italy is played.
The Rugby Football Union is taking its guidance from Public Health England, which has not yet banned public gatherings, as has happened in France. Boris Johnson is on Tuesday expected to outline measures to be taken in the event of an epidemic. The RFU declined to comment on Monday night but it is understood all England players and management staff have been given lessons in “infection control” after it emerged pupils at the school in Oxford where Eddie Jones’s squad trained last week have been put into self-isolation.
Up to 20,000 England supporters are expected to travel to Italy next week, with women’s and under-20s matches also scheduled. Organisers on Monday revealed plans are afoot to relocate those two matches given they are due to take place in the north of the country where numerous towns are on lockdown with the death toll in Italy now more than 50.
The Six Nations said the men’s fixture will remain in Rome and it is understood that playing the match behind closed doors is no longer thought to be a viable option.
“Six Nations and its six unions and federations are following the situation very closely with their respective governments and relevant health authorities and will strictly follow any directive given that would impact sporting events,” read a Six Nations statement.
“As it stands today, based on the latest information, all Six Nations matches currently scheduled are set to go ahead. Six Nations is in contact with [the Italian federation] and the RFU regarding the possibility of relocating the women’s and under-20 Italy v England matches to another Italian location and we will make a further announcement on this in due course. However, the Italy v England senior men’s match in Rome is planned to go ahead as scheduled. Six Nations intends to complete all 15 games across all three championships when time allows but we will refrain from making any rescheduling announcements for the time being while we keep assessing the situation.”
Last Friday the French government banned indoor meetings of more than 5,000 people in an effort to control the spread of the virus but yesterday the number of deaths in France had risen to four.
A spokesman for Scottish Rugby said it is preparing to host France at Murrayfield on Sunday as planned. Ireland’s trip to Paris on 14 March, however, is more of a cause for concern.
