Australian referee Nic Berry has been replaced for Saturday’s Six Nations encounter in Rome
World Rugby has announced a change to the officials for Saturday’s Italy v England Six Nations match as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Australian referee Nic Berry was due to be one of the assistant referees in Rome but has been unable to fly on safety grounds amid war in the region.
As a result of the travel disruption, Pierre Brousset (France) moves to AR1 and Sam Grove-White (Scotland) comes in as AR2. French official Luc Ramos remains the match referee as he makes his Six Nations debut.
The updated appointments in full are: Referee: Luc Ramos (France) AR1: Pierre Brousset (France) AR2: Sam Grove-White (Scotland) TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR) FPRO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
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Large areas of airspace remained closed across the Middle East amid the intensifying conflict between Iran and US-Israeli forces.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the situation on the ground “may remain challenging for some time” but that the Government was “looking at all options to support our people”.
He told the Commons: “We’re asking all British citizens in the region to register their presence so we can provide the best possible support and to monitor the Home Office travel advice, which is being regularly updated.
“Across much of the region, airspace remains closed, and local authorities are advising individuals to shelter in place.
“The situation on the ground may remain challenging for some time, so we’re sending rapid deployment teams to the region to support our British nationals on the ground.
“And we’re in close contact with the travel industry and governments in the region, including with our friends in the UAE (United Arab Emirates), given the concentration of British nationals in that country, and we’re looking at all options to support our people.
“We want to ensure that they can return home as swiftly and safely as possible.
“The FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) phone lines are open to provide consular support, and ministers are available to meet MPs to discuss any individual cases.”
In a post on X, the Government of Dubai Media Office said on Monday afternoon that airlines Emirates and Flydubai would begin operating a limited number of flights, with priority being given to customers with earlier bookings.
Some 15 Etihad Airways flights departed from Abu Dhabi in a three-hour window on Monday, which flight tracking company Flightradar24 said were “likely helping to clear transit passengers who have been stuck there since the start of the conflict”.
The Abu Dhabi-based airline continued to tell passengers not to travel to the airport unless they had been contacted directly and advised to do so.
In its latest statement on X, Etihad Airways said: “All Etihad’s scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 14:00 UAE time (10:00 GMT) on Wednesday March 4.
“Some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in co-ordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals. Guests should not travel to the airport unless they have been contacted directly by Etihad and advised to do so.”
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper indicated that 102,000 British nationals had registered their presence in the region.
She said a total of about 300,000 British citizens were in Gulf countries targeted by Iran.
British nationals are being advised to follow the instructions of local authorities and monitor the Foreign Office’s travel advice, which officials expect to change rapidly.
Those in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and the UAE have been urged to register their presence with the Foreign Office online.
Airspace closures in the Middle East have resulted in a number of commercial flights being grounded since the attacks began on Saturday.
More than a third of the flights scheduled to depart from the UK to the region on Monday were cancelled.