September finish is likely due to spiralling crisis

This season's Six Nations Championship may now finish in September. The spiralling foot-and-mouth crisis, which yesterday extended to France, makes the possibility of finishing the tournament in the next two months increasingly remote.

A spokesperson for the Six Nations Committee confirmed yesterday "there will be a statement within the next 48 hours", although there was no indication of what it might contain. Six Nations chief Roger Pickering was at the centre of conference calls between unions yesterday, coming under increasing pressure to make a definitive statement on the fate of the tournament.

As things stand, Ireland are due to play Wales on April 29th at the Millennium Stadium (WRU Chairman Glanmor Griffiths has steadfastly refused to give up that date to the English RFU for their match against Ireland), England at Lansdowne Road on the weekend of May 5th/6th and Scotland at Murrayfield a week later.

However, Terry Burwell, the English RFU's operations director, is the latest to suggest that the chances of the Ireland-England game going ahead at this juncture seem non-existent. "We believe that playing the game at the beginning of May is unrealistic. We don't believe that it (foot-and-mouth) will be resolved by then. The only logical step is to move the competition as far back as possible."

Burwell suggested that England would prefer a May 19th date, so as not to discommode their clubs in terms of the Zurich Premiership play-offs, with the European Cup Final put back to May 26th, the day the Lions are supposed to convene for a training camp prior to flying to Australia.

What is easily gleaned from the rhetoric of several vested interests is that the solutions are principally subjective. To avoid potential squabbles and given that the foot-and-mouth epidemic shows no signs of abating, the Six Nations Committee may decide to write off the remainder of the international season. The England-France game on April 7th must be in serious doubt following the outbreak in France.

The French government may be reluctant to abandon Saturday's game against Wales in the Stade de France at this juncture because arrangements are already in place but they might not take a similar view of a game that is a fortnight away and would involve French fans travelling to the epicentre of the foot-and-mouth epidemic.

European Rugby Cup Ltd (ERC) will not be amused that the Six Nations are threatening to commandeer their final date (May 19th). It appears even more likely that the Heineken European Cup final will be postponed until September.

The organisers do have the facility to put the final back one week (May 26th) or two (June 2nd) but even then if the final contains an English team then Ireland and France can hardly be receptive to the arrival of thousands of English visitors to the respective countries, given the stance adopted during the Six Nations season proper.

It can only be hoped that Pickering and his cohorts come out with clearly defined proposals and not another milky wait and see option. There is a suspicion that they may, initially, look to nudge the championship back a little in May to the dates the English RFU has suggested, playing the first of the postponed fixtures on the weekend of May 12th/13th as opposed to April 29th.

If the Six Nations Championship and European Cup find a new fixtures home in September then the Celtic League may have to be sacrificed. There would also be no point in Ireland undertaking their two-match sojourn in South Africa - they are due to depart on March 26th - if the championship was backdated to September.

As if the present fixtures muddle was not enough, the English club owners, or more pointedly

Northampton owner Keith Barwell, couldn't resist throwing in their vested tuppence worth. Calling on Ireland to step down from this season's tournament, he volunteered: "The fact of the matter is that the Irish have called these games off.

"I believe that they should be told that if they can not fulfil their fixtures it should return to the Five Nations just for this year. You can't drag these things on. The administration of rugby is in a poor state as it is."

The chief executive of the English RFU, Francis Baron, dismissed Barwell's suggestions, but did advocate that neutral venues might be considered so fixtures could go ahead.

"I don't believe that Ireland should withdraw but I do believe that if foot-and-mouth continues and Ireland still has a problem with fixture dates we ought to consider playing any rearranged fixtures if necessary on neutral ground.

"We're talking very closely with our colleagues and the other unions in the Six Nations and we believe that it is essential that the tournament is finished this season before the Lions go on tour."

The IRFU's Chief Executive, Philip Browne, dismissed Barwell's views as "narrow minded"; pointing out that the union was willing to be guided by the Six Nations Committee. He did not, however, rule out the possibility that Ireland might consider playing championship games at a neutral venue. "Our aim at this point is to fulfil the remaining fixtures.

"The only dates on the table at this moment are those that have already been released (April 29th, May 5th/6th and May 12th/13th). We would look to be flexible in our approach. It really is a case of wait and see. The Six Nations Committee has been kept fully briefed by all the unions and they are best placed to try and move the situation forward. We are awaiting word from them."

On a domestic level the IRFU is confident that the AIB League will be permitted to resume on Saturday, March 24th when they meet with Department of Agriculture officials tomorrow. It appears that test results of the foot-and-mouth case in Tyrone are negative and this should persuade the department to give the union a mandate to resume domestic rugby, albeit under stringent guidelines.

On a playing note the Ireland squad trained in Limerick yesterday and will wind up their three-day get-together this morning. Rob Henderson returned to England yesterday nursing a bruised chest suffered in a club game while Mike Mullins did not take part because of a chest injury. The squad will reconvene next Monday and will train for two days at Greystones.