Scotland's Six Nations game against France to go ahead on Sunday in spite of coronavirus outbreak

Captain Charles Ollivon, seen here playing in the Six Nations against Italy on February 6 in Rome, was one of the French players to test positive for coronavirus. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Fears that Scotland’s upcoming game against France in rugby’s Six nations might have to be called off because of a coronavirus outbreak among their hosts’ squad have proved groundless.

Whether Sunday’s game in Paris would go ahead had been thrown into doubt after 10 French players and coaching staff tested positive for Covid-19, but it’s now been given the thumbs-up to proceed by the tournament’s organisers.

That all-clear follows a fresh round of negative test results.

A tournament spokesperson said: “Further to a meeting of the Six Nations testing oversight group to review the latest tests results of the French squad, the Six Nations confirm the plans to stage the France v Scotland match as originally scheduled this coming Sunday.

“We continue to monitor the situation very closely and are in regular contact with both unions."

That news will be welcomed by Scotland boss Gregor Townsend as he’d feared being left without up to 10 members of his own squad due to club commitments if the game had been postponed until next week, as had been suggested.

The French stars forced to go into quarantine after positive test results including 2020 player of the championship Antoine Dupont and captain Charles Ollivon.

The French Rugby Federation confirmed that its latest round of tests had returned no further positive cases.

“No new positive cases for Covid-19 have been identified,” it said. “Tests will continue to be carried out daily until the France-Scotland meeting this Sunday."