March 2 (Reuters) - A van carrying the Six Nations trophy caught fire in Ireland and the damaged silverware will be replaced next season, tournament organisers said on Monday.
The trophy, 75 cm tall and made from seven kilos of silver in 2015, will be retired from use and an identical exhibition one will be awarded to this year's champions.
"A new Trophy will be commissioned in the same design as the original, with materials from the original being incorporated into the new Trophy, ensuring its history is respectfully transferred to the new creation," organisers said in a statement.
The annual tournament is no stranger to damaged cups. Scotland's John Jeffrey and England's Dean Richards played football with the Calcutta Cup on an Edinburgh street in 1988, causing major dents to the 110-year-old trophy, and received bans from the Scottish Rugby Football Union.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
