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Six Nations/PRO14 confirms more matches are off next weekend and beyond

By Online Editors
(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Six Nations have followed up Monday’s announcement that the France versus Ireland men’s tournament finale has been postponed by confirming on Tuesday that the women’s and under-20s matches between the two countries have also been called off.

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The women’s fixture was due to go ahead in Lille on Saturday with the under-20s fixed for Perpignan the previous night. The latter postponement dashes Irish hopes for now of them staying on course for the age-grade Grand Slam having won their opening three matches.   

In a statement, the Six Nations said: “Further to Monday’s press release announcing the postponement of the Guinness Six Nations match between France and Ireland, Six Nations can now confirm that the women and U20 matches between the two countries have also been postponed.

“The Wales vs Scotland Guinness Six Nations and U20 matches will go ahead as scheduled.

“Discussions with unions and federations are ongoing as it is of the utmost importance to find suitable dates for rescheduled matches while respecting the values and integrity of our Championship.”

Next weekend’s matches came under threat on Sunday evening when French President Emmanuel Macron placed a ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people in a bid to fight the spread of the coronavirus. 

Macron’s announcement followed the previous week’s decision by the French government to place a ban on indoor gatherings of over 5,000 people.

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Meanwhile, round 14 and 15 Guinness PRO14 fixtures involving Benetton and Zebre have now been postponed due to restrictions enforced by the Italian government that will prevent the teams from travelling.

The round 14 game between Cardiff Blues and Zebre in Wales (March 21) and the round 15 game between Munster and Benetton (March 27) in Ireland have now been postponed.

WATCH: EPCR not ruling out Champions Cup postponements

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Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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