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Ireland have cancelled their projected summer tour to Fiji due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\nIreland have cancelled their projected summer tour to Fiji due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n
The Irish Rugby Union said it was \u201cno longer viable\u201d to proceed with the tour, citing a recent outbreak of the virus and subsequent lockdown in Fiji.<\/p>\n
IRFU performance director David Nucifora said: \u201cA great deal of effort has gone into the planning of the tour which was predicated on a safety first approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cFiji up until this point had been relatively untouched by the pandemic but that picture has quickly changed and unfortunately it is no longer viable to proceed with the tour.\u201d<\/p>\n
The IRFU said it would be speaking to other Unions with regard to arranging alternative Test matches during the July international window.<\/p>\n
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell described the news as \u201cincredibly disappointing\u201d, and added: \u201cIt would have been a tough rugby challenge against an excellent Fijian side and a huge opportunity for us to develop as a group and build on the progress made during the past year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will be looking to source alternative fixtures and we hope to have them nailed down in the coming weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n