WRU give update on axed season
THE Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has given an update to clubs following the news that the rest of the 2019-20 domestic season has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The cancellation means there will be no promotion or relegation in any WRU league, with all teams remaining in their current division.
The WRU’s decision was made given no team had mathematically won any league and 1,113 fixtures would still need to be played to complete competitions.
In a statement, the WRU chairman Gareth Davies said: “I’d like to begin this update with a heartfelt thank you to the Welsh rugby community and our member clubs.
“We received a flurry of responses to the news that we had been forced to cancel the 2019/2020 season last week, understandably expressing disappointment but all showing absolute empathy for the situation we are all in.
“This attitude was exemplified by Pontypool rugby club, who desperate for promotion to the Indigo Group Premiership, wrote an open letter accepting with good grace and proper perspective the decision which has meant no relegation or promotion for anyone this season. ‘“We are a club that always strives to react to adversity in the right way and this situation is no exception,” they wrote and they are also no exception in Welsh rugby as this attitude has permeated throughout the country.
“Across the length and breadth of Wales the community game has universally accepted the decision and is rallying round in support of those most in need and here, at the Welsh Rugby Union, we will continue to do all we can to support this act.
“Of course we are in the midst of a global event and we are in constant contact with all of the major rugby nations in the world.
“Each of us has explained where we stand, and what the financial implications of our current situation are. We have discussed where we could be with the Six Nations and talked about the autumn and what happens with summer tours.
“We can work various contingency scenarios, but we can’t currently answer the question of when we may resume.
“Rest assured we have the very best interests of you, our member clubs, at the heart of everything that we do and we will keep lines of constant communication and support open as we go through these difficult times.”