Munster and Connacht's upcoming PRO14 fixtures in Italy have been postponed, with organisers hoping to refix the games in April and May.
Following confirmation that England's Six Nations trip to Rome the weekend after next has been postponed - Six Nations bosses are expected to confirm as much today - the PRO14's rounds 14 and 15 matches in Italy have been postponed due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the northern part of the country.
Munster were due to face Benetton in Treviso on March 21, and Connacht were scheduled to travel to Zebre for a March 28 encounter.
"The Italian government has now extended restrictions on sporting events until April 3 and the latest travel alerts from the Irish government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advise against non-essential travel to certain regions of Italy, including Veneto and Emilia-Romagna," read a PRO14 statement this afternoon.
"Consequently, PRO14 Rugby has taken this action in order to protect the well-being of our participating clubs' players, other staff and supporters, and provide some degree of certainty in an evolving situation. This decision is fully supported by the board of Celtic Rugby DAC."
As all four teams have failed to progress to European quarter-finals, PRO14 chiefs are hopeful of playing the postponed games on dates during the European weekends at the start of April and the start of May.
They are in talks with EPCR to avoid scheduling conflicts with Champions Cup and Challenge Cup quarter-finals or semi-finals.
However discussions are still in progress regarding the rescheduling of the postponed Round 13 fixtures – Zebre v Ospreys and Benetton v Ulster.
