England‘s trip to Rome in the final round of the Six Nations has been postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus in Europe.
Tournament organisers are expected to announce the decision later today, going beyond the measures taken by Italian authorities who have declared all sporting events will be played behind closed doors.
To do so for the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) would have seen the national body miss out on gate receipts from the 73,000 tickets sold for the clash with England on March 14.
The situation with coronavirus in Italy has worsened in recent weeks, with a meeting between the IRFU and Ireland health ministers leading to the match at the Aviva Stadium involving Italy already being called off.
No other European country has been more affected by the virus, also known as Covid-19, with over 3,000 cases and 100 deaths recorded.
Where a rescheduled fixture is likely to take place remains to be seen with the Premiership‘s schedule only allocating breaks for the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup.
Last year’s World Cup also delayed the start to the league until October, meaning the final round of the Premiership will take place on June 6.
