1
Draft Italian government decree suggests plug will be pulled on Italy-England
By Online Editors
Italy’s Guinness Six Nations match versus England on March 14 is likely to be postponed if a draft Italian government decree drawn up open Wednesday is put into action.
Six Nations officials declared on Monday that all remaining matches in the championship were going ahead as planned except for the already postponed meeting of Ireland versus Italy in Dublin which had been fixed for next Saturday in Dublin.
However, with the threat of the coronavirus spread still not under control, the Azzurri’s round five clash with the English in Rome is now set to fall by the wayside.
The Guardian’s rolling live blog on the global spread of the coronavirus had reported that a decree, which has been seen by the Reuters news agency, will order “the suspension of events of any nature... that entail the concentration of people and do not allow for a safety distance of at least one metre (yard) to be respected.”
It claimed that Italy’s government was set to close cinemas and theatres and ban public events across the whole country to try to contain the coronavirus outbreak. It also told Italians to avoid hugging and shaking hands to prevent as much as possible a further spread of the potentially deadly illness which has been mainly concentrated in the country’s northern regions.
(Continue reading below...)
Gallagher Premiership could be set for Guinness Six Nations player release standoff
If the Italy-England match is unable to go ahead as planned in front of an attendance in excess of 50,000 at Stadio Olimpico, rugby’s authorities might follow the lead of Italian football authorities who are said to considering playing Serie A matches behind closed doors.
Facing a backlog of fixtures as the virus spreads, the head of the Italian FA suggested playing matches without crowds was an increasing likelihood. “We are heading towards that decision,” Vincenzo Spadafora told reporters when asked if the government was thinking of barring fans. “We will continue all activities and so will the league, but we will respect public health.”
WATCH: RugbyPass Rugby Explorer takes a trek through Italian rugby, stopping off in Rome and Treviso
Trending on RugbyPass
2
'Chaos': Lawes sheds light on the social that ended 2 England careers
3
How much Toulon are paying new signing Antoine Frisch
4
Ex-Ireland wing brands Six Nations champs 'not that good'
5
Latest Comments
Hard to disagree with the 5 points - with the exception that Wilson should be a squad member but, depending on the other loose forward selections, is not yet a shoo-in. McReight is. Aussie is looking a lot better this year and JS has some selection options. Also, Havili’s tendency to get caught, charged down is also a liability at times but he seemed focused (mostly) and is definitely a consideration for utility back-up. Still feel Reihana is a better prospect at 1st five for Saders.
Go to commentsThink it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
Go to comments