Ireland v. Italy - Sat 07 March 14.15

[FLIP]

Was this a political headline-chasing exercise without adequate thought?

Do bears sh!t in the woods?

[backrower8]

With some time for cold logical thought, the Government announcement of the postponement of this match may be a bad decision. A far more logical solution would have been to announce the cancellation of all flights from Italy. The key is that this will be a postponement and not a cancellation of the fixture and this has significant insurance implications.

If Italian fans decide to keep their plans to travel to Ireland, having probably already spent €750- €1,500 already on flights, hotels and match tickets, quite often without any insurance, this will present an equivalent risk to the spread of Covid 19.

Medical logic suggests that groups of Italian fans in pubs and hotels around Dublin are every bit as dangerous a threat in spreading any virus as those gathered in an open-air stadium with low ambient temperatures.

Was this a political headline-chasing exercise without adequate thought?

Excellent post. On all angles.

[Ruckedtobits]

Last comment on this topic, the Ancient Roman leaders ultimately learned that cancelling the Circus was only the last option.

[Oldschool]

Was this a political headline-chasing exercise without adequate thought?

Do bears sh!t in the woods?

More likely ass covering. In the context of the Italy game letting 50k people gather in one tight space would be seen as an unnecessary risk/gamble.
Regardless of how the VIRUS gets here the opposition are going to make hay so why load the gun for them.
As an aside I doubt we'll see any kind of government formed until post VIRUS, it's just another accident waiting to happen to the incumbents.
No matter what they do or don't do they're going to be wrong.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

IRFU have almost certainly asked for meeting with Minister for Health in order to get a precise reason for cancellation of the game - related directly to multiple insurance claims by a wide variety of parties, including Italian fans.

It would have been far more sensible if Harris had made contact with the IRFU before he raced to the media for the 6.01 News last night. A phone call or meeting with Philip Browne would have resulted in a carefully worded statement which covered cancellation and optimised Insurance Claims.

I don't disagree but I wonder if it was caused by Shane Ross losing his seat? Maybe I'm wrong but I can't imagine it's business as usual for him until a new government is formed. So his role might be falling through the cracks right now...not that that's much different to when he was in situ of course.

[Twist]

IRFU have almost certainly asked for meeting with Minister for Health in order to get a precise reason for cancellation of the game - related directly to multiple insurance claims by a wide variety of parties, including Italian fans.

It would have been far more sensible if Harris had made contact with the IRFU before he raced to the media for the 6.01 News last night. A phone call or meeting with Philip Browne would have resulted in a carefully worded statement which covered cancellation and optimised Insurance Claims.

I don't disagree but I wonder if it was caused by Shane Ross losing his seat? Maybe I'm wrong but I can't imagine it's business as usual for him until a new government is formed. So his role might be falling through the cracks right now...not that that's much different to when he was in situ of course.

I'd like to congratulate Willie le Roux on an excellent post here.

[limecat]

Men, women and u20 matches v Italy have been officially postponed.

[Dave Cahill]

But no travel prohibitions in place.

Windows successfully dressed, deckchairs rearranged. No need to look out for icebergs

[johng]

IRFU have almost certainly asked for meeting with Minister for Health in order to get a precise reason for cancellation of the game - related directly to multiple insurance claims by a wide variety of parties, including Italian fans.

It would have been far more sensible if Harris had made contact with the IRFU before he raced to the media for the 6.01 News last night. A phone call or meeting with Philip Browne would have resulted in a carefully worded statement which covered cancellation and optimised Insurance Claims.

I don't disagree but I wonder if it was caused by Shane Ross losing his seat? Maybe I'm wrong but I can't imagine it's business as usual for him until a new government is formed. So his role might be falling through the cracks right now...not that that's much different to when he was in situ of course.

I'd like to congratulate Willie le Roux on an excellent post here.

[Pilotman123]

Men, women and u20 matches v Italy have been officially postponed.

For f*cksake, what the hell am I supposed to do that weekend now? Simple solution would be not let any fans travel

[Pilotman123]

What a way to ruin the tournament

[Pilotman123]

Where does it say that the u20 game is cancelled?

[MylesNaGapoleen]

Men, women and u20 matches v Italy have been officially postponed.

Simple solution would be not let any fans travel

how would you do that? (not trying to be a smartarse, I genuinely cannot see how that could be achieved other than relying on voluntary compliance)

I bet the IRFU are relieved it is not called off completely. we usually have 5 maybe 6 home games each year...a full house is worth EUR3m-4m to Irish Rugby.

[paddyor]

But no travel prohibitions in place.

Windows successfully dressed, deckchairs rearranged. No need to look out for icebergs

I was originialy of this opinion, but it's been pointed out online that the problem is actually the mass gathering for a sporting event. Travel for F&M disease wasn't cancelled.

[paddyor]

Serie A is still going ahead btw. My Italian neighbour just back from a skiing holiday in Trentino says the skuttlebutt in Italy is that it's not actually that bad. Public servants are making a big deal of it for a two week break

[Twist]

Serie A is still going ahead btw. My Italian neighbour just back from a skiing holiday in Trentino says the skuttlebutt in Italy is that it's not actually that bad. Public servants are making a big deal of it for a two week break

Brilliant idea, lets do that

[The Doc]

Serie A is still going ahead btw. My Italian neighbour just back from a skiing holiday in Trentino says the skuttlebutt in Italy is that it's not actually that bad. Public servants are making a big deal of it for a two week break

But aren't they saying they'll play games with no crowds up north? I thought that rather than postpone games they were planning on holding thembehind closed doors

[John23]

Rescheduling this is going to be a logistical nightmare for the IRFU and 6 nations inc. Add to the mix the fact that some Euro 2020 matches are being played at the Aviva. I recall reading a while back when a major tournament is being played at a particular stadium, the governing body in this case UEFA seeks to gain control of the ground a good 6 weeks in advance.

[Oldschool]

Rescheduling this is going to be a logistical nightmare for the IRFU and 6 nations inc. Add to the mix the fact that some Euro 2020 matches are being played at the Aviva. I recall reading a while back when a major tournament is being played at a particular stadium, the governing body in this case UEFA seeks to gain control of the ground a good 6 weeks in advance.

It's a bigger problem for the Pro14.

[Logorrhea]

Are we allowed to restrict travel within the EU? Can we actually tell any EU citizens that they cannot holiday here?