When will Ireland v Italy be played after coronavirus postponement?

The game was due to take place on Saturday, but the spread of the coronavirus in northern parts of Italy saw organisers call it off.

The encounter is officially postponed for now with three main suggested options on the table.

1. Play in October

The Aviva Stadium has a busy schedule in 2020 with the Champions Cup taking up time until Ireland hosts three Euro 2020 fixtures in Dublin.

A summer tour to Australia means the squad will be given September off to rest and recover, leaving October as the next truly viable date to play the game.

2. Play behind closed doors

Italian football teams have been playing games behind closed doors, and will continue to do so for the rest of March.

However, Six Nations tournament organisers rejected this idea for Saturday's rugby encounter, meaning the sides are unlikely to meet in an empty arena.

The financial impact of missing out on a full stadium's worth of ticket sales and concessions is not a scenario that any of the teams want.

3. Cancel the game altogether

Of course, there is a chance that the game will simply not take place.

However, organisers have attempted to reassure fans that the 2020 tournament will be completed one way or another.

When discussing the Italy v England postponement, a statement said: "The decision has now been taken to postpone the three matches between Italy and England (Men’s, Women’s, and U20) set to take place over the weekend of March 13/14/15, with the intention to reschedule them at later dates.

"We will refrain from making any rescheduling announcements while we keep assessing the situation."