The Premier 15s league will be suspended for at least two weeks to help reduce the spread of coronavirus.
Rounds 11 and 12 have been postponed with a possible restart date of Saturday 30 January.
The league has been given “elite sport” status by the government and has continued playing throughout lockdown despite no testing for the players.
The Rugby Football Union is expected to announce restart plans once the Women’s Six Nations’ dates are confirmed.
The international tournament, which usually runs on the same dates as the men’s equivalent, is expected to be pushed back to April.
Player welfare is behind the decision to postpone the Premier 15s, with last weekend’s fixtures also called off.
With most of the players in the league being amateur, they also have employment outside of sport to fulfil. Some Premier 15s players work for the NHS and the decision will allow more focus on work.
The league had already been playing under adapted laws to reduce contact.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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