French rugby season to be abandoned

The French Top 14 rugby union season is to be abandoned amid the COVID-19 crisis after the league's organisers (LNR) and the club presidents reached an agreement to call off the campaign, the LNR said on Thursday.

French prime minister Edouard Philippe on Tuesday said that the 2019-20 season of sport would not be able to resume, although the government's measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus left room for games to be played without spectators.

"After consultation with the presidents of Top 14 and PRO D2 (second division) clubs, the Board will propose to the LNR Management Committee not to follow up on having playoffs at the end of August to close the 2019-2020 season, to pronounce the end of this 2019-2020 season, and to focus on the organisation of the launch of the 2020-2021 editions of the two championships starting in September 2020," the LNR said in a statement.

The LNR's management committee is expected to meet some time in the next couple of weeks to validate its board's decision.

The LNR has yet to decide whether any club will be named champions.