Coronavirus: French Top 14 season set to be abandoned

The French Top 14 rugby union season is set to be abandoned after the league's organisers and club presidents reached an agreement to call off the campaign because of the coronavirus crisis.

French prime minister Edouard Philippe announced on Tuesday that the 2019-20 season of sport in the country would not be able to resume, although the government's measures to contain the spread of coronavirus had left room for some sport to be played without spectators.

France's 30 professional rugby clubs met via a video conference call on Wednesday to discuss what should happen with the domestic season which has been on hold since the middle of March because of the global pandemic.

On Thursday, the National Rugby League (LNR) released a statement saying: "After consultation with the presidents of Top 14 and PRO D2 (second division) clubs, the Board will propose to the LNR Management Committee not to follow up on having play-offs at the end of August to close the 2019-2020 season, to pronounce the end of this 2019-2020 season, and to focus on the organisation of the launch of the 2020-2021 editions of the two championships starting in September 2020."

The LNR management committee is expected to meet some time in the next couple of weeks to validate the board's decision, but no decision has been made about whether any club will be named champions.