Premiership rugby have agreed to postpone the league for five weeks due to the coronavirus.
The next round of fixtures will now be held on April 24-26 following emergency talks held today in response to the global crisis.
Last week, it was announced that, for the time being, it was business as usual for the Premiership following government advice that did not specifically rule out mass gatherings.
Yet, in football, the Premier League and EFL both opted to postpone their seasons until the first weekend in April. Rugby has now followed, taking the decision to postpone until the end of April.
This covers four rounds of Premiership fixtures, with the weekend of April 3-5 having been set aside for European quarter-finals.
The Board of European Professional Club rugby has now suspended those eight matches, after France's Top 14 and the Pro 14 both suspended their seasons.
The Daily Mail report that various contingency plans have also been considered due to the fears that the league could be suspended for up to 12 weeks. Yet the five-week suspension offers the chance to review the situation in due course.
Last Sunday's Premiership Cup final between Sale and Harlequins was postponed after a member of the Quins back-room staff was forced to self-isolate.
For Bristol Bears, the following fixtures would be postponed:
- Bristol Bears vs Saracens
- Gloucester vs Bristol Bears
- Bristol Bears vs Dragons
- Bristol Bears vs Exeter Chiefs
- Sale Sharks vs Bristol Bears
A statement from Premiership Rugby read: "We are sorry to tell our fans that we will be postponing our season for five weeks, in line with today’s advice of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which confirmed that the Government would no longer support mass gatherings.
"The safety of our fans and staff is our first priority, and we would like to wish all of those who are affected our heartfelt best wishes and a very speedy recovery.
"We’ll continue to work closely with DCMS and Public Health England, and to follow the advice of medical experts, and work with our clubs to help them to support their own wider communities at this time.
"We are working together with our broadcast partner BT Sport to create exclusive rugby content in the coming weeks.
"More news on that to follow. If you are worried about Coronavirus, please seek the latest official guidance from the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/. Keep safe everyone."
