England’s final Six Nations match in doubt as Italy orders matches to be played in empty stadiums
Italian government have ordered all sporting events to be played behind closed doors until 3 April
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Your support makes all the difference.England’s final Guinness Six Nations match against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico will either be played behind closed doors or postponed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
It comes after an Italian government decree released on Wednesday night said all sporting events in the country would not be open to the public until April 3 in an attempt to halt the spread of Covid-19.
Sources at the Italian Rugby Federation and Italian Olympic Committee have confirmed to the PA news agency that England’s climax to the Championship, originally scheduled for March 14, could now be replayed at a later date.
Six Nations organisers are being guided by government directives and, in light of the decree, they will discuss the fate of the game with the English and Italian unions on Thursday.
It is understood that cancelling the match altogether is not an option under consideration.
Rearranging the fixture will be difficult due to the packed international schedule and the need to secure player releases from Premiership clubs, but the IRF will also be reluctant to lose the revenue generated by a lucrative home clash with Eddie Jones’ title hopefuls by playing it behind closed doors.
An estimated 20,000 England fans were due to travel to Rome and their plans are now in chaos, while reports suggest ITV and the BBC have abandoned plans to send commentators and pundits to the fixture.
Italy is the European country most afflicted by the coronavirus with in excess of 3,000 people infected – a number that includes over 100 deaths. Eleven towns in northern Italy are in lockdown.
The Italian government has also ordered all school, colleges and universities to close until March 15.
England’s visit to Rome is the second fixture of the 2020 Six Nations to be affected by the spread of the disease after Ireland’s showdown with Italy in Dublin on Saturday was postponed on public health grounds.
Mako Vunipola on Tuesday became the first player to be ruled out of a game because of Covid-19 after he returned home from Tonga via Hong Kong, a location suffering from a substantial outbreak.
Although asymptomatic, England took the decision to stand Vunipola down as a precautionary measure due to their 24/7 camp environment.
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