France vs Scotland postponed: Why has Six Nations rugby match been cancelled and what date will fixture be played now?
FRANCE were looking to continue their Six Nations winning streak as they host Scotland in Round 3.
But the match has now been postponed after a coronavirus outbreak within the French squad.
Why has France vs Scotland been cancelled?
France vs Scotland has been cancelled after the entire French squad was ordered to isolate.
The match had been scheduled to go ahead despite Les Bleus reporting ten positive tests.
However a further positive test led to the match being called off on Thursday.
A Six Nations statement said: “The Six Nations Testing Oversight Group (TOG) met today to review the situation in the French Camp.
“They unanimously recommended the postponement of the France v Scotland match. This will be ratified later today by the Six Nations Council.
“We will be working on the rescheduling of this fixture and will communicate the date in due course.”
In a statement on Twitter, France rugby said: “Following the RT-PCR tests carried out on Wednesday, February 24, and the appearance of a positive test within the playing squad, the FFR medical committee met this morning and decided to suspend training today.
“The entire group is in isolation in accordance with the health protocol.
“The FFR is in close contact with the Six Nations committee.”
When was France vs Scotland?
- France vs Scotland was scheduled to be played on Sunday, February 28 at the Stade de France.
- Kick-off was at 3pm UK time – 4pm French time.
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When will France vs Scotland be played now?
It is not yet known whether France vs Scotland will be played the following week, but it seems unlikely.
That means the rearranged fixture is set to be played as a standalone game which will decide the fate of the Six Nations later in the year.
But moving the fixture to summer could prove tough due to the Lions Tour taking place across June, July and August.
One date that has been mooted is July 3, when the Lions are scheduled to take on the Stormers.
Failure to arranged a date in the spring or summer could mean another year in which the Six Nations finishes in October.
In 2020, England’s 34-5 win over Italy proved enough to claim the title after France beat Ireland but not by a big enough margin to win the trophy.