England’s Six Nations fixture against Italy has been postponed due to fears over safety to supporters amid the coronavirus crisis, according to Sky .
It was initially suggested that the game, due for 14 March, would be played behind closed doors in Rome.
But the match has now been put back until further notice and it remains to be seen when it will take place.
Over 3,000 people have been tested positive for COVID-19 in Italy, with 107 dying, making it the worst-hit country in Europe.
The match is the latest casualty in the sporting calendar, with a number of high-profile events either being cancelled or postponed until further notice.
(Image: Mark Pain/PA Images Contributor)
This weekend’s Six Nations game between Ireland and Italy, which was scheduled to take place in Dublin, has also been cancelled, while all Serie A games will be played behind closed doors until April 3.
Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta said he was in favour of the matches being played in front of empty stadiums rather than being cancelled altogether.
“It’s a very tough moment, our goal is to carry out the season with the maximum uniformity, without creating any imbalance,” he told Sky Italy.
“We’re going through days of big changes. To play behind closed doors could be the only tool to finish the season in light of the restrictions that the government is rightly pointing out to us.”
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England have won two and lost one of their three Six Nations fixtures so far, and take on Wales at Twickenham on Saturday, while Italy have lost all three of the games they have played so far.
Six Nations organisers are being guided by government directives in deciding the fate of games and, in light of the decree, activated their contingency plan to find a new date for games affected by the virus.
As yet there is no indication whether the surviving four games of the competition are under threat.
