The France-Ireland match, which was scheduled to take place at Stade de France on Saturday for the fifth day of the Six Nations Rugby Tournament, has been postponed to a later date due to the coronavirus epidemic, he said. we learned Monday from concordant sources. Sunday, Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced the ban on all gatherings of more than a thousand people.
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France - Ireland is the third match of the Tournament not played after Ireland - Italy which was to be played on March 7, and Italy - England, scheduled for March 14. No postponement date has been set. Monday afternoon, the Wales-Scotland match, scheduled for Saturday in Cardiff, was the only meeting of the last day still on the program.
The postponement of France - Ireland, after that of England - Italy, leaves open the identity of the team which will win the Six Nations Tournament. This situation goes back to 2001, when an epizootic of foot-and-mouth disease had led to the postponement of three matches. England had been sacred in October.
The XV of France therefore closes its winter campaign in fishtail. New coach Fabien Galthié's team started the tournament with three wins over England, Italy and Wales, before conceding their first defeat in Scotland (28-17) on Sunday. Fabien Galthié had estimated Monday morning, before this announcement, that "replaying (everything) immediately would be a blessing for us", after the defeat at Murrayfield.