Italy-Wales Six Nations game rearranged because of Pope’s funeral

The Women’s Six Nations fixture between Italy and Wales is to be rearranged due to the funeral of Pope Francis.

The two teams were due to meet in Parma at lunchtime on Saturday, 26 April in the final round of the tournament.

But the Vatican has announced the Pope’s funeral will take place at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST) that day.

Tournament organisers have yet to confirm when – or where – the game will now go ahead.

Speaking on Tuesday before the decision was made, Wales vice-captain Keira Bevan said the squad was preparing as normal.

She said: “There’s nothing we can do right now apart from prepare as if the game is going ahead this weekend.

If the game is played on Friday it would mean Wales playing twice in the space of five days, having faced Ireland on Easter Sunday.

It is the latest disruption for Wales during what has been another disappointing campaign despite the appointment of new head coach Sean Lynn just before the tournament.

They faced a 13-hour journey to Brive after opting to travel to France on the eve of their match earlier this month, only to be caught up in congestion due to a crash. The delay saw Wales miss their team run through.