Covid 19 coronavirus: No more international rugby in 2020 now a 'distinct possibility'

The All Blacks perform the haka at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Photo / Mark Mitchell

By RugbyPass.com

Bill Beaumont believes it is a "distinct possibility" the international rugby calendar could be scrapped this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Beaumont is chairman of World Rugby, which has announced it is providing an NZ$166million relief fund to aid national unions through the crisis.

The organisation is also exploring a way to return to playing and finishing the 2020 international calendar but the current global uncertainty led Beaumont to concede it may not be possible to hold any more fixtures this year. "That is a distinct possibility," Beaumont told The Times. "The pressures on the unions are getting greater and greater."

Scotland versus France at Murrayfield on March 8 was the last test match played. The following weekend's final round of Six Nations games fell victim to the virus outbreak which is now set to shortly bring confirmation that the July test window is closed and no games will be played then either.

The All Blacks were set to welcome Scotland and Wales to the country in July, with the Rugby Championship scheduled to be played throughout August and September, but Beaumont's warning could see the All Blacks sidelined for the entire year.

Beaumont is standing for re-election as chairman of World Rugby but next month's election will see him go up against vice-chairman Agustin Pichot. The former Grand Slam-winning England captain's bid for a second four-year term took a hit when former team-mate Clive Woodward backed the ex-Bristol and Argentina skipper.

Woodward's assertion that "rugby would benefit from being viewed through the eyes of leader who is 45, not 68" rankled with Beaumont, who said: "What difference does the age make? I played my rugby always as an amateur. Does that mean I don't understand the professional game?

"I am evolution, not revolution. I am bidding to show a lead to colleagues, to take colleagues with me. I intend to be a leader. And I think I have been in the past."

Beaumont's running partner Bernard Laporte last week floated the idea of a yearly Club World Cup, an idea which could be the death knell for the Heineken Champions Cup. However, Beaumont added: "It was a misunderstanding. What I can see is a Club World Championship, but not an annual basis. That is the way we both look upon it."

This article first appeared on RugbyPass.com and is republished with permission

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website