Six Nations Tournament: France-Ireland meeting postponed to October

The France-Ireland match, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday March 14 at the Stade de France for the fifth day of the Six Nations Rugby Tournament, has been postponed to October due to the coronavirus epidemic, announced on Monday March 9, Minister of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu.

She said that this last meeting of the Tournament, which could be decisive for the final victory in the event, would be played in October, in agreement with the organizers.

I am chairing an internal meeting on #coronavirus this morning at the ministry to take stock of the impact on French sport and the conditions for organizing sports competitions, given the exceptional health context. pic.twitter.com/3BauUp0im9

France - Ireland is the third match of the 2020 Tournament postponed after Ireland - Italy, which was to be played on March 7, and Italy - England, scheduled for March 14. The Wales-Scotland game, scheduled for Saturday in Cardiff, was the only meeting of the last day on the program early Monday afternoon.

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.

With this postponement, the XV of France ends its winter campaign in fishtail. New coach Fabien Galthié's team started the tournament with three successes over England, Italy and Wales, before conceding their first defeat in Scotland (28-17) on Sunday.

Before the announcement of the postponement, Fabien Galthié had estimated, Monday morning, that "to replay (everything) immediately would be for us a blessing", after the defeat at Murrayfield.

With AFP and Reuters

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