Ireland’s guys’s and ladies’s Six Countries video games versus Italy in Dublin on 7 and 8 March have been held off due to the fact that of coronavirus.
Irish Health Minister Simon Harris stated on Tuesday the males’s game must be held off and consulted with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) on Wednesday.
Eleven towns in northern Italy remain in lockdown after a break out.
An IRFU declaration stated it was “working with the Six Nations to try to reschedule all 3 components”.
UK Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston remains in talks with a host of sports governing bodies as well as the Premier League and EFL about the implications of coronavirus.
Amongst the products being gone over are the 6 Nations matches against Italy in Rome on the weekend of 13-15 March for the England guys’s, ladies’s and under-20 s groups. Talks with the Football Association concentrate on Gareth Southgate’s England side, who host Italy at Wembley on 27 March.
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Ireland’s males were scheduled to deal with Italy in the Six Countries at the Aviva Arena on 7 March before the females’s game the following day at Energia Park.
The under-20 s game in between the nations on 6 March has actually also been postponed.
Italy women’s game versus Scotland was also delayed on Sunday and is yet to be rescheduled, while England’s males’s and women’s groups are because of play in Italy in the last round of the 6 Nations on 14 and 15 March.
A 6 Countries declaration said organisers were “completely supportive” of the postponement and that all other matches are presently scheduled to proceed as typical, but added: “We will continue to keep track of the scenario really closely with all unions and the particular federal government authorities and health organisations.”
Competition organisers will hold discussions with unions of all 6 groups about rescheduling alternatives.
Following Harris’ discuss Tuesday evening, the IRFU called for the minister to describe the “particular reasoning”‘ behind his words.
However an IRFU statement after Wednesday’s conference read: “At the outset we made it clear that the IRFU was supportive of the federal government’s need to safeguard public health in relation to the coronavirus.
” We were then encouraged, officially, that the National Public Health Emergency situation group has determined that the series of matches need to not proceed, in the interests of Public Health. The IRFU enjoys to adhere to this instruction.
” Ticket holders are asked to maintain their tickets for now. The IRFU will be providing ticket holders with tickets for the rescheduled video games or a refund, if they want to get one. Information on both these options will be released as soon as possible.”
Ireland’s chief medical officer stated on Wednesday the decision to call for the post ponement of the match in Dublin was “not made lightly”.
Ireland’s Grand Slam hopes were ended by England on Sunday and they are yet to face Italy and unbeaten France in the tournament.
Numerous other sports occasions have been cancelled since of coronavirus, with skating, table tennis and football’s Serie A the most recent to be impacted.
In 2001, Ireland’s 3 6 Nations fixtures versus the home nations were held off till September and October due to the fact that of the break out of foot-and-mouth illness.
Analysis – ‘Six Nations is in a state of limbo’
BBC rugby union reporter Chris Jones speaking on Radio 5 Live
This all escalated last night when the Irish health minister said he was encouraging Irish rugby authorities the game could not go ahead.
Once the health minister said that, Irish rugby authorities were not truly able to break that.
Hopefully the video games will be rearranged however it is not certainly going to happen so the Six Nations remains in a state of limbo at the minute.
Ireland needed to play three of their 6 Countries games in 2001 in the autumn. I do not know how simple that will be to arrange nowadays. The calendar is so overloaded.
Everything is up in the air. Apart from the Ireland versus Italy video games, you look at England’s fixtures in Italy on the final weekend.
At the time of speaking I think it looks really unlikely those games will go ahead.
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