How the sporting world is tackling the coronavirus threat

Tournament organisers faced the option of playing the game behind closed doors at the Stadio Olimpico or delaying it until later in the year and have chosen the latter option.

The accompanying Italy v England fixtures for the women and Under-20s have also been called off.

The decision comes after an Italian government decree issued on Wednesday night said Serie A matches would not be open to the public until April 3 in an attempt to halt the spread of Covid-19.

Italy is the European country most affected by the coronavirus with in excess of 3,000 people infected – a number that includes over 100 deaths. Eleven towns in northern Italy are in lockdown.

“Six Nations notes the decree issued by the Italian Government on March 4th with respect to all upcoming sporting events in that country,” a statement read.

“The decision has now been taken to postpone the three matches between Italy and England (men’s, women’s, and U20) set to take place over the weekend of March 13/14/15, with the intention to reschedule them at later dates.

“Based on the information that’s currently available, all other Six Nations matches are set to go ahead as scheduled.”

Shaping the decision is the Italian Rugby Federation’s desire to retain the revenue generated by a lucrative home clash with Eddie Jones’s title hopefuls.

By staging the game behind closed doors, the cash-strapped union would have missed out on gate receipts for a 73,000 sell-out.

It is the second game of the 2020 Six Nations to be postponed after Ireland’s clash with Italy in Dublin on Saturday was also called off on public health grounds.

Six Nations chiefs now face the challenge of finding a date to re-stage England’s visit to Rome knowing there is not much room in the calendar to accommodate the match. The postponements mean it could be some time before a winner of the 2020 Six Nations is established, while the 20,000 Red Rose fans expected to travel to the Italian capital have seen their plans thrown into disarray.

England face Wales at Twickenham on Saturday needing victory to keep them in title contention.

England’s players will return to their clubs on Sunday.

The coronavirus outbreak continues to impact on sporting events around the world.

Premier League Everton’s chief finance officer Sasha Ryazantsev told the FT Business of Football Summit in London that fans would understand why matches were needed to be played behind closed doors or postponed if such a decision was taken because of the outbreak.

“The whole situation goes far beyond the world of sport. Of course nobody wants to play behind closed doors and I don’t think it’s inevitable at the moment that it will happen,” Ryazantsev said.

“But we feel it is quite likely it may happen in the coming weeks. If it were to happen, it’s not about the money but looking after our supporters. I believe they would understand that.”

Meanwhile, Merseyside neighbours Liverpool announced a raft of measures, including a decision not to use on-pitch mascots at games, aimed at protecting staff and spectators.

In addition, the Premier League has abandoned its traditional fair play handshake before matches until further notice on medical advice.

A statement said: “The Premier League fair play handshake will not take place between players and match officials from this weekend until further notice based on medical advice.

“Coronavirus is spread via droplets from the nose and mouth and can be transmitted on to the hands and passed on via a handshake.

“Clubs and match officials will still perform the rest of the traditional walk-out protocol ahead of each fixture.”

The EFL, meanwhile, remains in close contact with the Government regarding the ongoing concerns posed by coronavirus.

“We will continue that dialogue, alongside monitoring the advice issued by the relevant authorities, ensuring clubs are updated with any developments,” an EFL statement read.

However, Scotland’s chief medical officer has insisted scientific evidence suggests mass gatherings, particularly those held outdoors, are unlikely to result in the virus being passed on.

Speaking at Murrayfield ahead of Scotland’s Six Nations clash with France, Dr Catherine Calderwood said: “I’ve looked at the scientific evidence very carefully, and what’s emerging is that there’s actually very little impact on virus spread from mass gatherings, particularly if they are in the open air. This is not a risk to the Scottish population in hosting this match.”

The Rugby Football League has advised clubs “there is presently no rationale to close or cancel sporting events in this country - although clearly this may change as the situation evolves”.

Golf, meanwhile, continues to be badly affected by the spread of the virus, with the MENA Tour pushing the rest of this season’s tournaments back until September-December, while in cycling, The CCC and Astana Pro teams have followed Team Ineos and Mitchelton-Scott in withdrawing from races due to coronavirus.