The Malta vs Israel rugby international match is the second local sporting casualty to fall victim to the coronavirus after the Malta Rugby Football Union announced that the game will be called off.

The local governing body said that the Conference South 1 match, due to be held at the Hibs Stadium on March 21, was postponed on the instructions of the European governing body Rugby Europe.

“Following instructions from European Rugby’s governing body ‘Rugby Europe’, we regret to inform you that the upcoming Rugby Europe Conference 1 (South) fixture between Malta and Israel is postponed,” the MRFU said in a statement.

 “This is due to travel complications for the Israel team and quarantine restrictions set in place in Israel, making it impossible for them to travel to Malta.

"We would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their patience and understanding at this time. Particularly Rugby Europe for their guidance and local authorities for the assistance on procedure.”

It is understood that Israel decided not to make the trip to Malta as it would entail them to a 14-day quarantine on their return home, a scenario they cannot afford due to their amateur status.

Meanwhile, the MRFU confirmed that at the moment, Malta’s trip to Croatia, scheduled for April 4 is still on.