Irish Travel ban
The Ireland RFU is seeking urgent talks with its government over plans to introduce a quarantine period on people arriving from France. It would start on Thursday, just two days before the much anticipated clash between Ireland and France at Energia Park Dublin.
One alternative receiving active attention is a move to the Kingspan Stadium Belfast, where the final of the 2017 World Cup took place.
The staffs of rugby clubs and unions are all too used to last-minute changes of plan, most of them meaning a postponement or cancellation. But this is an unexpected hiccup to the smooth running of this year’s tournament.
So much detail would need to be finalised: the Kingspan authorities accepting the request; the Northern Ireland authorities agreeing; getting both the parties safely there – the French needing to rebook their flights and accommodation.
It’s all horribly reminiscent of the fly-by-your-pants organisation of the earliest World Cups.
We can be sure that both teams want above all for the game to take place.
And the Irish government may still allow this one event to take place unhindered.
Update: We understand that elite athletes are to be given exemption from mandatory hotel quarantine meaning that the French team will be able to travel to Donnybrook for their game against Ireland. (News from Gavan Reilly, Virgin Media News/Scrumqueens)
