Covid crisis playing havoc with top-flight matches

THE coronavirus emergency continues to ravage the Indigo Welsh Premiership, writes Huw S Thomas.

Every Premiership club has cases of Covid in their squads, with the result that many have suspended training.

The Welsh Rugby Union has allowed clubs to postpone league games in the hope that they can be rearranged once the pandemic relaxes its grip on the country.

Llandovery are yet to find out who they will play in the quarterfinal of the Indigo Premiership Cup as the play-off game between RGC and Pontypridd has been postponed twice.

Whoever wins that game in Colwyn Bay will be Llandovery’s opponents at Church Bank in the last eight.

The quarter-final was scheduled for January 22 but there is little prospect of that taking place.

Apart from the televised S4C games behind locked doors, there has been little action other than at the Arms Park where Carmarthen Quins defeated Cardiff 27-25 at the weekend.

Given the restrictions on a crowd limit of 50, other clubs have been reluctant to open their doors, clubhouse and facilities to accommodate such a crowd in an exercise that would see the club losing money.

Apart from the S4C televised games which bring much-needed cash, it looks as if January will be a near barren month for players and supporters.

S4C are thought to be looking into revising their list of televised games according to player availability.

Any new Welsh Government directions might change the situation.

Llandovery are due to visit Aberavon on Saturday, while the Quins are scheduled to host Swansea. Both both games look unlikely to take place.*