England Men’s Six Nations clash against Italy in Rome on March 14 has been postponed due to coronavirus, sources have told ESPN.
The game was initially set to be played behind closed doors in line with protocol from the Italian government announced on Wednesday — no fans will be allowed to attend sporting events until April 3.
But a decision to postpone the match has been taken instead, according to sources, with no announcement yet on a new date.
It is expected that England Women’s Six Nations match against Italy on March 15 will also be postponed but no confirmation has been announced at this stage.
This weekend’s match between Ireland and Italy in Dublin was also postponed last month due to the virus in northern Italy but England’s home game against Wales on March 7 is set to go ahead as planned.
The tournament has already been affected by the outbreak with the clash between Italy and Scotland also cancelled last month.
Italy is the epicenter of Europe’s coronavirus outbreak. More than 100 people have died and more than 3,000 have been infected with COVID-19 in recent weeks.