England’s Six Nations match against Italy could be switched from Rome to Twickenham or Newcastle amid coronavirus outbreak
- England’s last-day match could be disrupted by coronavirus outbreak
- England are due to face the Azzurri at the Olympic Stadium on March 14
- Six Nations officials are considering options if Rome unable to host match
- The Italian federation have suspended rugby at all levels next weekend
The Six Nations is in danger of being disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak, with England’s last-day match against Italy in Rome now the subject of hasty contingency planning.
Eddie Jones’s national team are due to face the Azzurri at the Olympic Stadium in the Italian capital on March 14.
However, the women’s international between Italy and Scotland scheduled to take place near Milan on Sunday was postponed due to a sudden spate of coronavirus cases in that part of the country — and Pro14 fixtures have since been postponed too.
England’s last-day match against Italy in Rome now the subject of hasty contingency planning
On Monday, the Italian federation (FIR) confirmed the suspension of rugby at all levels over the forthcoming weekend.
Sportsmail understands that Six Nations officials and their counterparts from the RFU and FIR are in talks about scenarios in the event of the Italy-England match being deemed unplayable in Rome and one source claimed that the fall-back plan would be to move it to either Twickenham or Newcastle.
Italian sporting authorities have taken no chances with football matches cancelled last weekend and now the prospect of Serie A and Europa League games this week being played behind closed doors.
The fall-back plan for Italy fixture would be to move it to either Twickenham or Newcastle
Moving the Six Nations fixture to England would, of course, leave Jones’s men with unscheduled home advantage, when they may still have a chance of winning the title. The situation is being actively ‘monitored and discussed’ by relevant parties, with all six unions being kept informed.
Italy have moved a training camp this week away from Parma, where they were due to gather, ahead of their trip to Dublin to face Ireland. That match may be in jeopardy too, as Irish Health Minister Simon Harris said yesterday: ‘The rugby game is something that needs considerable consideration. There will be some big decisions that have to be made in the coming days including mass gatherings. Most particularly, I’m thinking of the Ireland-Italy rugby game.’
Meanwhile, England head coach Jones has revealed that Saracens prop Mako Vunipola is unlikely to be available for the clash with Wales at Twickenham on March 7. He is currently back in Tonga due to a family matter.