Wales vs Scotland: Six Nations game postponed due to coronavirus

The Six Nations match is the latest sports event to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic

The Six Nations match between Wales and Scotland that was due to take place on Saturday 14 March has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. .

The two other round five games, between Italy and England in Rome and France and Ireland in Paris, had already been postponed, while the round four clash between Ireland and Italy was also moved.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) had insisted earlier on Friday that the match would “go ahead as planned”.

But it became the latest sporting event to be cancelled on a day of numerous developments which also saw the Premier League suspended and England’s cricket tour of Sri Lanka cancelled.

In a new statement, the WRU said: "The Welsh Rugby Union has maintained an open dialogue with, and continued to seek advice and direction from, the Welsh Government and other stakeholders, including the Six Nations, on this fast-moving issue.

"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 would like to thank all parties for their counsel on the subject and will make further announcements with respect to rescheduling the fixture in the coming days.

"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."

Meanwhile, Scottish Rugby has suspended all domestic rugby for the remainder of March.

A Scottish Rugby spokesperson said: "We have taken on board all expert medical advice before now and we are taking a precautionary approach to give time to assess what the impact of coronavirus will be on Scottish society in the coming weeks before deciding on next steps.

"This decision has been taken with the best interest of everyone involved in the game and in support of the country's work to address the impact of Coronavirus."