| schema:articleBody
| - This weekend's Six Nations international between Wales and Scotland in Cardiff was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak on Friday, just hours after the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) said it would take place. A WRU statement issued at 0930 GMT insisted Saturday's game was still "going ahead as planned". But it was before a fresh raft of sporting events were postponed due to the deadly COVID-19, including football's English Premier League, which led to a remarkable U-turn which plunged the 2020 Six Nations into further turmoil. Some four-and-a-half hours after their original statement, as the Scotland team arrived at the Principality Stadium for their final pre-match training session, the WRU made the announcement. Even though their view of the scientific position was unaltered, the WRU said postponement was the "only viable option". "Whilst medical advice remains consistent, we have decided that it is in the best interests of supporters, players and staff to fall in line with recent measures taken across the UK and global sports industries," the WRU said. Welsh officials were adamant they had done everything possible to get the match played as scheduled: "Every effort has been made to stage this game and we appreciate that individuals will have been inconvenienced. "Given the fluid and unprecedented nature of this issue, a postponement became the only viable option." The Scottish Rugby Union, who prior to confirmation of the postponement had announced a suspension of all rugby in Scotland said: "While it is disappointing the (Six Nations) fixture could not go ahead there are clearly wider public safety issues unfolding at this unprecedented time. "We support the WRU in the difficult decision they have had to make and will continue to have strong relationship with them going forward." But Friday's Under-20 international between Wales and Scotland in Colwyn Bay will go ahead behind closed doors. Friday's decision means four games in total in this season's senior tournament have been postponed due to the outbreak. All of the matches planned for the scheduled March 14 'Super Saturday' finale -- Italy v England in Rome, France v Ireland in Paris and Wales v Scotland -- have been postponed due to COVID-19 after last week's Ireland-Italy match in Dublin went the same way. There is no guarantee when any of the delayed games will be played, amid fears they won't be able to take place until October at the earliest so congested is the club and international rugby union calendar. France team manager Raphael Ibanez said on Tuesday he expected his side's fixture against Ireland to take place on either October 30 or 31. The 2001 Six Nations saw three games delayed until September and October due to an outbreak of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth livestock disease. The last incomplete Championship was back in 1972 when Wales and Scotland refused to travel to Ireland amid fears of terror attacks in what was then the Five Nations. Had Saturday's match in Cardiff gone ahead as planned, Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones would have equalled former New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw's world record for most international appearances. Reigning Grand Slam champions Wales, semi-finalists at last year's World Cup, were trying to avoid losing four successive Championship matches for the first time since 2007 in what is their first season under Wayne Pivac since he succeeded fellow New Zealander Warren Gatland. Scotland, by contrast, were bidding to win three consecutive Championship matches for the first time since the 1996 Five Nations, as well as securing their first victory in Cardiff for 18 years. jdg/iwd
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)