There has been yet another casualty of the Coronavirus outbreak as today the Rugby Football Union has confirmed the end of the season for all levels below the Gallagher Premiership.
In a statement on EnglandRugby.com from Bill Sweeney, CEO RFU it read ” In order to provide clarity and to assist with immediate and longer term planning, the Rugby Football Union is announcing the end of the 2019/20 rugby season for all league, cup and county rugby in England. The only exception to this is the Gallagher Premiership, who we are in active discussions with to review possible best next steps.”
What this means for promotion from the Championship is not yet confirmed but Newcastle Falcons currently sit top with a 100% record. Bill Sweeney went onto say in his statement ” We are working through the implications of ending the season early and have instigated a thorough process to ensure fair and balanced outcomes for the game. We will communicate these outcomes by the middle of April. While we would like to provide all the answers now, we need some time to get it right for the best interests of the game. Rest assured we are working on this as a priority and we will continue to send weekly updates to clubs.”
Saracens relegation from the top flight has already been confirmed with persistent salary cap breaches so it is more than likely that Falcons will replace them for the start of the 20/21 season.
The Gallagher Premiership is currently suspended until April 14th with an extension to this suspension looking likely.
