Premier 15s put on hold by the RFU amid rising Covid-19 cases in England

The RFU has suspended the Premier 15s season for two weeks as England grapples with the rampant spread of a Covid-19 variant.

Rounds 11 and 12, set to take place this month, have been put on hold following weeks of disruption to both men’s and women’s top-level rugby.

Leaders Harlequins have not played since December 20, after having their rescheduled match against Saracens postponed and last week’s fixture with Wasps also called off following the declaration of a major incident by Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

Following the postponement of the Women’s Six Nations Championship and new dates to be confirmed, the Allianz Premier 15s season fixture round dates will also be amended and the RFU will update in due course.

RFU head of women’s performance, Nicky Ponsford said: “After consultation with representatives from Premier 15s clubs we have decided to pause the league until the end of the month.

“The rescheduling of the Six Nations will hopefully enable us to play games over the original Six Nations period providing it is safe to do so and we’ll be working hard to finalise a structure and implement agreed intensive protocols across the league.

“We are also very mindful that a number of club medical staff and players work in the NHS so this is also an opportunity for them to break from rugby duties. While we aim to return at the end of the month, we are conscious this is a fluid situation and we will continue to review and evaluate during this playing break. We’d like to thank all clubs for their continued efforts, co-operation and support during this period.”