Six Nations kicks off with no fans in stadiums as England take on Scotland in an empty Twickenham
Six Nations, no crowds: Scotland take the lead 3-0 against England in eerily silent Twickenham as millions of rugby fans cheer on at home
- Scots took an early lead in southwest London, perhaps alleviated by absence of the usual 80,000 onlookers
- Earlier France trounced Italy 50 points to 10 at a similarly quiet contest at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome
- It’s only a few months since last fixtures of 2020’s tournament were played after outbreak halted competition
The Six Nations kicked off with no fans today with England taking on Scotland in the Calcutta Cup at an empty Twickenham stadium.
The Scots took an early lead in southwest London, perhaps feeling alleviated by the absence of the usual 80,000 onlookers – most of them hostile.
Earlier France trounced Italy 50 points to 10 at a similarly quiet contest at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
It’s only a few months since the final fixtures of 2020’s tournament were played after the outbreak of the pandemic in Europe halted the competition last spring.
Scotland’s lock Jonny Gray (L) and England’s lock Maro Itoje compete in the line out during the Six Nations rugby union match between England and Scotland at Twickenham Stadium today
England and Scotland social distance during the national anthems prior to the Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham Stadium, London
The Duke of Sussex said the ‘passion and enjoyment’ of sport can bring comfort to people in the ‘isolated’ times we live in earlier today.
Harry was speaking ahead of England and Scotland marking rugby’s oldest international rivalry when they meet at Twickenham on Saturday.
The game will mark the 150th anniversary of the first ever Test, which took place on March 27, 1871 in Edinburgh.
Harry, who was sporting a beard, appeared in a video posted on the England Rugby Twitter account on Friday night.
Dressed in a navy blazer and white shirt with the top two buttons open, Harry said: ‘Rugby union has brought joy to millions of people with teams full of great characters and special players.
‘In these isolated times, the sheer passion and enjoyment that sport offers can bring great comfort to many.
‘As proud patron of the Rugby Football Union, I join millions of supporters across the entire world in celebrating 150 years of England Rugby.’
