Cardiff Blues’ Guinness PRO14 encounter against Zebre on Saturday, March 21, has been postponed due to travel restrictions enforced by the Italian government.
Unnecessary travel had previously been barred in 14 provinces, including Parma, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus and this has now been expanded to the entire country.
These restrictions are in place until Friday, April 3, 2020. It is hoped the fixture will be rescheduled for a European weekend in April or May.
Cardiff Blues remain in contact with PRO14 Rugby who continue dialogue with the FIR (Italian Union), Zebre Rugby Club, Benetton Rugby and World Rugby to monitor situation on a regular basis.
Season Memberships and tickets purchased for Cardiff Blues versus Zebre will remain valid for the rescheduled fixture date and any further enquiries should be directed to ticket.office@cardiffblues.com.
At the current time, all other scheduled matches, events and bookings at Cardiff Arms Park will go ahead as planned.
We continue to follow advice from the World Health Organisation and Public Health Wales, as well as that of local government.
Precautionary measures are in place and all staff, spectators and visitors to the site are encouraged to maintain good hand, respiratory and personal hygiene.
Please see the press release from Guinness PRO14 below:
Further postponement of Italian fixtures due to COVID-19 Precautions
All Round 14 & 15 Guinness PRO14 fixtures involving Benetton Rugby and Zebre Rugby Club have now been postponed due to restrictions enforced by the Italian government that will prevent the teams from travelling.
The Round 14 game between Cardiff Blues and Zebre in Wales and the Round 15 game between Munster Rugby and Benetton in Ireland have now been postponed.
This means that six Italian fixtures now require alternative dates as authorities in Italy take action to combat the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. PRO14 Rugby has been consistent in ensuring that it has the latest information and guidance made available by the local and national authorities via our participating unions in the UK, Ireland, Italy and South Africa.
Currently in northern Italy, no unnecessary travel is permitted in or out of the Lombardy region and 14 other provinces, which include the cities of Treviso and Parma.
These restrictions are in place until Friday, April 3, 2020 and PRO14 Rugby will remain in contact with the FIR (Italian Union), Zebre Rugby Club, Benetton Rugby and World Rugby to monitor situation on a regular basis.
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) latest report has listed over 100 countries with confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus. To ensure the safety of our players and spectators PRO14 Rugby fully supports the preventative measures taken in Italy and will adhere to the directives from the WHO and local authorities
Postponed fixtures
R13: Zebre Rugby Club v Ospreys Rugby; Benetton Rugby v Ulster Rugby
R14: Cardiff Blues v Zebre Rugby Club; Benetton Rugby v Munster Rugby
R15: Munster Rugby v Benetton Rugby; Zebre Rugby Club v Connacht Rugby
As previously indicated, PRO14 Rugby will aim to reschedule these matches on dates during the European weekends in April and May. PRO14 Rugby is currently engaged with EPCR to avoid any scheduling conflicts with European knock-out games.
As stated on February 28, in the event that no alternative dates can be found to ensure that a postponed fixture is fulfilled, the board of Celtic Rugby DAC has agreed that both teams will be awarded two match points and the game will be deemed a 0-0 draw.
EDITOR’S NOTES: Celtic Rugby DAC is the company that operates the Guinness PRO14.The participating unions of the Guinness PRO14 are the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR), Irish Rugby Football Union (FIR), Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), South African Rugby Union (SARU) and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).
ENDS