The PRO14 have released a statement to express their approach to the remainder of the season after the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus.

Following the postponement of the Six Nations fixture between Ireland and Italy, PRO14 confirmed that this weekend’s games between Zebre and Ospreys and Benetton against Ulster would be postponed as Italian Rugby called off all rugby fixtures in the country this weekend. 

Now the tournament organisers have confirmed that they are working with all the respective authorities to see how the season will unfold. 

“In response to the uncertainty caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, PRO14 Rugby has initiated a number of measures to meet the challenge this poses to Guinness PRO14 fixtures. Since last weekend, detailed scenario-planning has been on-going and it is paramount that the well-being and health of teams, their supporters, staff and match officials are not compromised. To date, no country has implemented a travel ban, however, restrictions put in place around mass gatherings in Italy have caused the postponement of two Guinness PRO14 fixtures scheduled to take place this weekend. The Chief Medical Officers from each of the Guinness PRO14’s participating unions – the FIR, IRFU, SARU, SRU & WRU – will provide tournament organisers with regular updates from their relevant health and government authorities. This includes (but is not limited to) Situation Reports released by their governments or health authorities, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in their country and any travel restrictions to and from that country. Should the situation change PRO14 Rugby will fully abide by any instruction or restriction from the medical authorities/governments of each of our territories,” the statement read. 

It went on to explain that as of now all the games will go ahead as expected, but they will reschedule if needed. 

However, if there is no suitable time to relocate the match it will result in a 0-0 as seen at the recent Rugby World Cup when games were called off due to severe weather conditions in Japan. 

“Currently, matches will take place as scheduled unless otherwise directed by local or national authorities or governments. PRO14 Rugby will remain in frequent contact with the CMOs of our participating unions to remain fully informed of the conditions in each territory. Beyond the two postponements this weekend, all scheduled Guinness PRO14 fixtures are set to go ahead – including the refixed Round 11 game between Dragons and Benetton Rugby on March 6. A process has already begun to find alternative dates for this weekend’s postponed fixtures involving Zebre Rugby Club v Ospreys and Benetton Rugby v Ulster Rugby. In the event that any future games are postponed and no alternative dates can be found to ensure the fixture is fulfilled, the board of Celtic Rugby DAC has agreed that both teams will be awarded two match points and the game will be deemed a 0-0 draw. This stands in line with current World Rugby practice and resembles protocols in other rugby codes and international sports,” the statement finished. 

Should the virus continue to spread it will more than likely see further disruption to the rugby calendar and the hope will be that it doesn’t have too much of an effect on the standings league table come the end of the campaign.