France’s Six Nations clash with Ireland postponed

French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu has confirmed that France’s final Six Nations game against Ireland in Paris on Saturday has been postponed.

Maracineanu did not specify the new date for the game.

French media had earlier reported on Monday that all games on the last day of rugby’s Six Nations Championship on Saturday had been postponed amid fears over the coronavirus outbreak – but it was later confirmed by rugby chiefs that Wales vs Scotland in Cardiff would go ahead as planned.

On Sunday, France banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people as the death toll and number of coronavirus infections continues to rise.

The country reported 1,126 cases of the virus as of Sunday, up 19 per cent from the day before and the second largest number of cases in Europe after Italy.

So far, 19 people in France have died. Protests, exams and public transport could be exempt from the ban on large gatherings.

Earlier, Paris police said the Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund will be played without fans. Maracineanu said it was not possible to postpone the football match because of the crowded calendar.

The clash between Wales and Scotland at the Principality Stadium will be going ahead as scheduled on March 14 with no restrictions on fan attendance.

The fixture between Wales Women and Scotland Women in the Women’s Six Nations has also been postponed after a Scottish player tested positive for Covid-19 last week, with a further seven members of the Scotland camp (players and management) self-isolating.

Tournament organisers said in statement: “Six Nations and its constituent Unions and federations will work closely to identify dates on which all postponed matches will take place.

“No immediate announcement will be made on rescheduling as we will need to discuss with all relevant stakeholders and assess the evolution of the situation.”