- 12 players had already been discovered to have left bubble
- England due to visit Italy in Six Nations next weekend
England’s autumn campaign was thrown into chaos on Friday after Sunday’s opening match against the Barbarians was called off after a number of players broke the strict Covid-19 protocols.
The Rugby Football Union launched an urgent review after the news broke on Thursday that 12 Barbarians players had left the team hotel to visit a London restaurant. The former England captain Chris Robshaw, Richard Wigglesworth and Tom de Glanville were among the players who were subsequently sent home when the matter was discovered. The RFU has cancelled the match after learning there was an additional breach of protocol on top of the incident already known.
