Marcoussis (France) (AFP)

No match in Vannes for the XV of France, next meeting in Scotland on November 22.

The meeting against Fiji, scheduled for Sunday, will not be played in Brittany after cases of Covid-19 contamination in the Fijian workforce.

Several Fijian players, including the former three-quarters of Toulon and Bordeaux-Bègles Semi Radradra, have tested positive, according to sources close to the selection of the Pacific.

This causes for the moment the postponement of the meeting counting for the first day of the brand new Nations Cup.

According to the organizer of this tournament bringing together eight teams (the Six Nations plus Fiji and Georgia), the medical commission competent for the meeting scheduled in Morbihan on Sunday issued an unfavorable opinion on Friday morning to the holding of the duel against the Fijians.

The decision must be formalized in the afternoon.

For its part, the management of the France team canceled the press conference announcing the list of 23 players, scheduled for 12:00 on Friday in Marcoussis.

"Obviously, there is sadness, but if there are several cases of Covid and contact cases, good decisions must be made and health comes before everything else," lamented the president of RC Vannes Olivier Cloarec.

"But it's a lot of sadness because we are not ready to receive the XV of France so soon" in Vannes, he added.

The "Autumn Nations Cup", which the Blues were to start in Brittany, will finally start for them only in Edinburgh in ten days.

And coach Fabien Galthié will be able to rely on his typical team, which was not expected.

The French clubs have in fact agreed to release their internationals for only three match sheets, a maximum, and the Blues have already played two.

They had beaten Wales (38-21) in a test match on October 24, then Ireland (35-27) on October 31 in the Six Nations Tournament, which they completed in the second place, behind England.

- Dupont and Ntamack against Scotland -

After the duel against Fiji at the Rabine stadium, the management should have said goodbye to his team A. Galthié had also unveiled Thursday evening the group of 31 players, including the returning Brice Dulin and fourteen neophytes, which was to prepare for the match in Scotland and therefore the rest of the autumn period.

But the misadventures of the selection of the Pacific are a game-changer.

According to AFP information, the players who were to face Fiji will be released from Friday noon and reconvened Monday at 6 pm to travel to Scotland on November 22.

Game of musical chairs requires, the group initially convened for this trip to Murrayfield will play against Italy a week later.

The Blues must indeed play three other matches, within the framework of the Autumn Nations Cup, in Scotland, then against Italy at the Stade de France as well as a classification match on December 5 or 6, including location remains to be determined.

The Autumn Nations Cup is due to start Friday (8 p.m.) with an Ireland-Wales duel in Dublin.

It will continue on Saturday with the meetings between Italy and Scotland in Florence and the duel between the XV de la Rose against Georgia in London.

© 2020 AFP