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Ireland captain Johnny Sexton is due back from a head injury this weekend. Billy Stickland/INPHO

Farrell's Ireland still Covid-free as France wonder if their outbreak started in Dublin

Les Bleus’ Six Nations hopes have been hit hard with key players now ruled out of the Scotland game.

IRELAND’S SIX NATIONS camp remains Covid-19-free despite their most recent opponents, France, being hit by growing numbers of positive tests.

14 France players and staff have tested positive since their clash with Ireland in Dublin on Sunday 14 February, with key men like Antoine Dupont, Brice Dulin, and captain Charles Ollivon now ruled out of this weekend’s scheduled clash with Scotland in Paris.

However, Ireland assistant coach Mike Catt reported that their squad has not recorded any positive tests since the meeting with the French.

“We all got tested three times [last] week, we’ve had a test this morning, so again we are Covid-free as we currently stand,” said Catt this afternoon.

“We’re very happy with the way things are going. The players have been exceptional in sticking to their protocols and our protocols. That’s all we currently can do and at the moment we’re going pretty well on that.”

France’s growing list of cases comes after they trained with members of the France 7s squad in the build-up to their trip to Dublin for the Ireland game. 

The France 7s squad has also since had an outbreak of Covid-19 cases but France 15s manager Raphaël Ibañez has defended their set-up amidst questioning from the French media.

“It is not uniquely a French issue,” said Ibanez.

“The head coach of England [Eddie Jones] was affected by it, and others too. Nobody can know how this happened. Was it in Ireland? Why not through the media who were allowed in to watch training? It only takes one infected person for the contamination to take hold in others.

“What has happened only motivates us more to put on a great performance against Scotland.”

Meanwhile, Ireland attack coach Catt reported that all 36 of the players selected in Andy Farrell’s squad this week are fit and available to feature against Italy in Rome on Saturday.

Captain Johnny Sexton, Conor Murray, Dave Kilcoyne, and James Ryan missed out on the France game due to injuries but are all in line to return against the Italians.

“What I’ve been told is that everybody is fit and raring to go, which is great,” said Catt. “It is always great to start a week with a full squad.”

Ireland had initially hoped that Ulster’s Jacob Stockdale would link in with the squad this week but Catt said the 24-year-old was still not available.

“I’m not sure, I think he had a bit of a setback,” said Catt. “I could be wrong but he hasn’t been available this week and we haven’t considered him for coming in this week.” 

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    Mute #JUSTICE4NOEL
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 3:13 PM

    Doubt we passed them on Covid, we would have kicked it instead

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    Mute hypebeast
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 3:16 PM

    @#JUSTICE4NOEL: I hear Damien penaud was showing symptoms, which shows why James lowe chose to obey social distancing during defensive shifts.

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    Mute Darren Mullins
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 5:10 PM

    @#JUSTICE4NOEL: very good !

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    Mute Noel Lynn
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 3:53 PM

    Watch how their coach went around hugging players after match with no mask and then ask how they got it????

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    Mute SPQH
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 10:58 PM

    @Noel Lynn: my initial thought when I saw that was, they’re fine they’re all in a bubble together…. Whoops!

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    Mute Peter O'Donovan
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 3:35 PM

    They can feck right off with any insinuation that they got covid in Dublin. Their symptoms started because France is still too blase about their restrictions. All they have in place is a curfew after 6 o clock in the evening till 6 am next morning. Other than that you can do what you like. Thats how the players got covid.

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    Mute Lesidees
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 5:56 PM

    @Peter O’Donovan: that and restaurants, bars, cafés, larger shopping centres, cinemas, theatres and concert halls being closed, no amateur indoor sports, compulsory mask wearing in all built-up areas and shops, no gatherings of more than 6 people.

    But yeah, apart from that, you can do what you like

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    Mute SPQH
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 10:57 PM

    @Peter O’Donovan: agreed. i have a friend in France sending me pictures of crowded public spots and going to parties every weekend. Whatever about our restrictions here the public are abysmal at fighting the virus in what I’m seeing over there.

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    Mute Manus O Donnell
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    Feb 23rd 2021, 1:07 PM

    @SPQH: does he work for the French Rugby Federation?

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    Mute SPQH
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    Feb 23rd 2021, 6:18 PM

    @Manus O Donnell: Well no, but their insinuation is that cases are high here, did the public here bring it, I’m pointing out that they’re twice as high per 100k in France, so although it’s not impossible that they may have got it here, it’s probably more likely they got it in France, where the people are not taking this lockdown stuff very seriously.

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    Mute Petulant mcbarity
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 3:36 PM

    It’s clear that they allowed it into their own camp somehow. I mean the Ireland team don’t have it.

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    Mute Sean O Callaghan
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 3:42 PM

    @Petulant mcbarity: there’s a few in the squad who wouldn’t catch a rugby ball, never mind covid…

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    Mute Peter Cavey
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 4:06 PM

    @Petulant mcbarity: if french players did have it during the game, it’s remarkable it wasn’t passed on to any Irish forwards in the scrums, the props are literally cheek to cheek in there.

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    Mute SPQH
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 11:28 PM

    @Peter Cavey: might not have reached transmission stage until after the game. Takes 2-5 days from initially contracting it I believe.

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    Mute Peter O'Donovan
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 3:42 PM

    Was it in Ireland? No it wasn’t Raphael. The only restrictions in France at the moment is a curfew from 6pm to 6am next morning. Other than that you can do what you like. Your players caught it at home.

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    Mute Ivan Genockey
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 4:48 PM

    Proves no one should be allowed in without isolation for two weeks no matter what tests they gave done.

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    Mute Noel Lynn
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 3:59 PM

    Surely if the french had it coming into the game, then our lads would’ve caught it from them
    What and with whom were they doing after??

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    Mute Conco
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 6:54 PM

    We have no positive tests and no positive rugby

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    Mute Chris Tobin
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    Feb 23rd 2021, 9:28 AM

    @Conco: yep, all negative

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    Mute baw baw
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 6:31 PM

    The highest percentage of daily covid cases are recorded in people aged 18-34 so that rules out most of the irish team so we should be all good to lose v Italy this weekend all going well

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    Mute Kevin Ryan
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 11:03 PM

    Click bait headline from The42 drawing a few in.

    If people read the article itself they will see that having caught it in Ireland was just one of the possibilities raised by the French.

    And it is not as if we can rule out the possibility anyway, given that there’s still been around 1000 new cases every day

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    Mute SPQH
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 11:32 PM

    @Kevin Ryan: and about 25k a day in France, bigger population but about the equivalent of having 2k a day here, and it’s not subsiding there either. Stubbornly high.
    I wonder was it their 7s team as hinted at in the article?

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    Mute Linda Ennis
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    Feb 22nd 2021, 10:01 PM

    The French were hugging and shaking hands after the game……..what did they expect ?

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    Mute Damian Baker
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    Feb 23rd 2021, 1:35 PM

    It’s funny reading people’s comments. It’s almost offensive to suggest that they could have caught it through someone while in Ireland.

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