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Six Nations organisers still waiting for green light to play on

With ten days to go until the first ball is kicked, the fate of this year's Six Nations is still ...



With ten days to go until the first ball is kicked, the fate of this year's Six Nations is still to be determined. 

France have only committed to playing their opening game on February 6 against Italy in Rome.

Beyond that, their government want assurances regarding player safety before giving the green light to the rest of their matches.

It appears as though the UK's non-EU status is the major sticking point regarding safety protocols.

With that in mind, Six Nations organisers revealed at the launch that they do have contingency plans if French involvement becomes tricky.

"All our protocols have been considered extremely robust and we are seeking clarification on the specific rules of quarantine exemptions," said Six Nations CEO Ben Morel.

"We are awaiting clarification on entry from the UK and re-entry for the French team or other unions.

"We are confident we will get the right authorisation.

"The only thing we are waiting for the green light and clarification on is the seven-day isolation and to whom that applies.

“Generally, elite sport benefits from widespread exemptions because they have stringent protocols.

“We need the detail of the exemption and we need to understand: is the exemption for the players, for the operational staff, or for both?

“We believe that exemptions are being given on a case-by-case [basis]. That is the green light that we are waiting on.”

Morel was also asked about Wales and Scotland potentially arriving into France a week early to quarantine in an effort to satisfy French government concerns.

The Six Nations chief executive replied, "We are looking at a series of contingencies, but we do not expect to get that problem.

“If that was the case, then Scotland would be playing on fallow weekends and Wales would be coming from Italy, so there are solutions.

“We are confident in our ability to stage the matches at the right time, it’s more about what logistical gymnastics we need to adapt to."

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Ben Morel Covid-19 France Roxana Maracineanu Scotland Six Nations Wales