England rugby star Mako Vunipola will not play for England against Wales this weekend in the Six Nations. Vunipola will self-isolate in case of coronavirus as a precaution after flying home from Tonga via Hong Kong.
It is believed Vunipola is showing no signs of having contracted the illness, with his self-isolation more of a precaution.
The Saracens prop had missed the game against Ireland little over two weeks ago after travelling to Tongo for family reasons.
But he is almost certainly to miss the remainder of the 2020 Six Nations with England’s final game being against Italy on March 14.
An England team spokesperson said: “Mako Vunipola is not in the camp on medical grounds. He is not sick but it is a precaution.”
There were growing concerns that the remaining games of the Six Nations would have to be cancelled due to the coronavirus.
Italy’s match against Ireland has already been postponed, but World Rugby officials held a meeting on Monday where they announced the tournament would be going ahead as planned.
“The Six Nations met today in Paris to address the current situation regarding the Covid-19 virus,” the statement read.
“Six Nations and its six unions and federations are following the situation very closely with their respective governments and relevant health authorities and will strictly follow any directive given that would impact sporting events.
“As it stands today, based on the latest information, all Six Nations matches currently scheduled are set to go ahead.
“Six Nations is in contract with FIR and RFU regarding the possibility of relocating the Women’s and U20 Italy vs England matches to another Italian location and we will make a further announcement on this in due course.
“However, the Italy vs England Senior Men’s match in Rome is planned to go ahead as scheduled.
“Six Nations intend to complete all 15 games across all three championships when time allows but we will refrain from making any rescheduling announcements for the time being while we keep assessing the situation.”