The suspension of club and community rugby in New Zealand has been extended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the sport's resumption now contingent on health ministry guidance, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) said on Wednesday.
All matches, training and face-to-face education courses in New Zealand were initially suspended until April 18.
However, the governing body said providing a specific restart date was unrealistic given the nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
"We continue to monitor the situation and take advice from the government about when it will be safe for rugby and all sports to start," NZR said in a statement on its website https://www.nzrugby.co.nz/news-and-events/latest-news/postponement-of-community-rugby-in-line-with-alert-levels. "We will take our lead from the Ministry of Health."
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
