Rugby Europe suspend Tier 2 rugby on the continent 'indefinitely'

Rugby Europe have suspended all Tier 2 Rugby acrosss Europe for an ‘indefinite period of time’.

A statement reads: “Considering the current evolution of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) throughout Europe, Rugby Europe has decided to extend the suspension of all its matches and tournaments for an indefinite period of time.

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“The original suspension announcement was stated to run until April 15th, 2020. The European Federation considers this deadline not to be a sufficient amount of time to enable unions, athletes and officials to participate with safe conditions in international competitions.

“Rugby Europe will continue to monitor developments with unions, local governments and health authorities and will respect the instructions received in the interests of overall public health in relation to COVID-19. No immediate announcement will be made on rescheduling.”

Octavian Morariu, President of Rugby Europe: “We are living in exceptional times at the moment that must be considered very seriously. The health of our athletes and all those involved in our sport, their well-being must be our priority, which is why we are extending the suspension of our competitions for an indefinite period. We will not be back at games and tournaments until all conditions are met, including having given enough time for the reathletisation and training of our players”

Rugby Europe is the governing body responsible for the promotion, development, administration and management of international competitions for the 48 member unions across Europe. The association organizes over 80 international games and 20 rugby tournaments each year, among which Men’s fifteen-a-side European Championships (Championship, Trophy, Conference 1 & 2, Development), U20 and U18 European Championships and all the 7s men and women European competitions, World Cup and Olympics Qualifiers.