BEVERLY HILLS, January 20, (THEWILL) – The rampaging pandemic has caught up with English Rugby throwing off England’s Six Nations preparations. The forwards coach for the Red and Whites, Matt Proudfoot, has tested positive for the coronavirus, meaning he and team coach Eddie Jones, whom Proudfoot contacted, must go into a 10-day self-isolation period.
Although Proudfoot remains asymptomatic, the South African who was snapped up by England after guiding the Springboks to the World Cup in 2019, is now in quarantine according to health and safety protocols in place in the United Kingdom.
England’s pre-tournament screening returned Proudfoot’s positive test and though Jones and attack coach Simon Amor returned negative test results, they were identified as close contacts, forcing the period of self isolation on them as well.
By implication, the Red and Whites will be without all three coaches at the start of the national squad’s first Six Nations camp – which begins at the home of Gareth Southgate’s footballers, St George’s Park, next Wednesday, January 27th.
The trio can join the team the day after, on Thursday, but that will depend on returning a negative test after they are retested later this week.
Proudfoot’s shocking positive result only serves to worsen the state of uncertainty in the game especially after authorities in France cited concerns over the spread of the virus when they forced the cancellation of the European Cup fixtures.
That cancellation had repercussions across board because it caused the calling off of all Champions and Challenge Cup matches last weekend. But, the English Premiership decided to stick to their original schedule and take a two-week break, only for the forwards coach to test positive.
While the Six Nations have determined that the tournament will go ahead, a COVID-19 outbreak within the ranks could put a serious spanner in the works and force a re-think so as not to endanger the lives of players, staff and others involved in the organisation of fixtures.
So far, the harsher strictures and weekly double testing that help in identifying positive cases quicker and in instilling confidence in everyone will be in place during the tournament, ramping up the measures from the Autumn Nations Cup during which it is understood England did not register a single positive test.
The Six Nations will hope that remains so going forward and English Rugby will be praying for their coaches to return next Thursday for the game to continue unabated.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
