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Premiership Rugby targeting July return and hopes to complete 2019/20 season

General view of Allianz Park before the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Saracens and Bristol Bears on December 21, 2019
Image: Premiership rugby has been suspended since April 8

Premiership Rugby still hopes to complete the entire 2019/20 season and is targeting a potential restart at the beginning of July.

Any resumption is subject to government approval - with the next review of lockdown measures due to be made public on May 7.

The competition had originally been suspended for five weeks on March 16 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but that suspension was extended indefinitely on April 8.

The RFU is liaising with the Department for Culture Media and Sports (DCMS) and due to health and safety concerns, Premiership Rugby are drawing up plans to play games behind closed doors in bio-secure environments.

This could see all games being played at one or two venues, with on-site coronavirus testing required and with midweek matches essential to complete a fixture list on which all 12 Premiership clubs have nine matches outstanding.

It is anticipated that players would need four weeks of training before returning to action, which would mean returning to their clubs in June.

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This best-case scenario would result in the Premiership final being played in mid-August.

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