Scotland coach Townsend accepts 25% wage deferral

Rugby Union - Six Nations Championship - Italy v Scotland - Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy - February 22, 2020 Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Ciro De Luca - RC2P5F9PFQPV

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend will take a 25% wage deferral to help ease the financial burden of the coronavirus pandemic, the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) said on Tuesday.

The head coaches of Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors, Scotland's two professional sides, and the SRU's board of directors will also take a 25% deferral, while chief executive Mark Dodson will take a 30% deferral, the SRU added.

The deferrals will begin on April 1 and continue until Sept. 1, the SRU said in a statement https://www.scottishrugby.org/news/update-from-scottishrugby.

"We are working extremely hard to navigate the sport of rugby in Scotland through these extremely challenging times," SRU chairman Colin Grassie said.

"We have a huge challenge ahead of us and we will leave no stone left unturned to ensure the long term sustainability of Scottish Rugby and the sport in Scotland."

The board added that all non-essential expenditure at the BT Murrayfield Stadium and other ongoing projects would be put on hold until further notice.

Rugby in Scotland has been suspended since March 13 due to the outbreak.

(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Angus MacSwan)