No further rugby will be played in Wales until at least March 30 and teams have been told not to train by the Welsh Rugby Union.
After a meeting of the Community Board on Saturday, and in the wake of the decision to call-off the Guinness Six Nations match against Scotland at Principality Stadium a mere 24 hours before kick-off on Friday, it was decided to put the game itself into self-isolation.
“The WRU, having considered expert medical advice has taken the precautionary measure of suspending all forms of rugby, including training and rugby-related courses, from 6pm on Saturday 14 March up to and including Monday 30 March 2020,” said an official statement.
“The WRU has taken this decision in the interests of players, supporters, volunteers, referees, stakeholders and Welsh communities in general. The WRU will continue to assess this fast-moving situation and provide further updates in due course.”
The Specsavers Championship match between Ystalyfera and Cross Keys was one of the last games to survive on Saturday, along with a handful of youth fixtures. One of the first casualties will be Cardiff Met University’s BUCS Super Rugby quarter-final against Loughborough on Wednesday night.
All @WRU_Community rugby activity in Wales suspended until March 30 due to #COVID_19uk
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— Welsh Rugby Union 🏉 (@WelshRugbyUnion) March 14, 2020
The semi-finals of the Specsavers National Plate, Bowl and Shield will also not be played on Saturday, while the National Cup semis a week later will also have to be postponed. The Guinness PRO14 has already suspended their fixtures involving the four Welsh regions.
Welsh Schools, of which they are 40 entered, have begun to pull out of the Rosslyn Park Sevens from 23-27 March and the game between Wales U18XV and Wales U19XV on Saturday is another immediate casualty.
The blanket suspension of training and matches comes at a time when many clubs are already weeks behind in their fixtures. In Division 1 East, reigning champions Brecon have played only half of their 22 games to date, as have flood hit Rumney in Division 1 East Central.
The worry will be that if the suspension is extended into April there may be no end to the season, leaving promotion and relegation in confusion. After four years of trying to get back into the Indigo Group Premiership, they are five points clear of Bargoed after an unbeaten run of 16 matches, but still have 10 games to play.
In the Premiership, Cardiff hold a seven point lead with six games to go as they attempt to win their first title since 2009.