IRELAND'S Six Nations clash with Italy has been postponed, throwing the remainder of the tournament in doubt.
Andy Farrell's men are one of three sides in with a realistic chance of winning the competition but we may have to wait quite a while to learn who will be the 2020 champion.
When will the rearranged Ireland vs Italy game be played?
Ireland's clash with Italy is unlikely to be rescheduled before October.
The match was scheduled to take place in Dublin this Saturday and no new date has been arranged.
The Champions Cup quarter-finals take place on the weekend of April 4 and games are not likely to be replayed on or before that date.
The Aviva Stadium will then be unavailable from the middle of May because three of this year's Euro 2020 fixtures are being staged at the ground.
And September is a rest month for the country's national squad following the summer tour to Australia.
In a meeting on March 2, the Six Nations chose not to pencil in a new date for the match, nor to postpone England's trip to Italy.
This means, as things stand, Ireland vs Italy will be the only fixture not to have been played before the planned end of the tournament on March 14.
Why was Ireland vs Italy cancelled?
Thousands of Italian supporters, many from the regions most affected by the coronavirus outbreak were expected to make the trip.
Ireland were also due to play Italy in an Under-20 Six Nations game and women's international that weekend – both have been cancelled.
There have been 1,694 cases of the coronavirus in Italy – the highest number of infections outside of Asia.
34 people have died from the virus.
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