Premiership Rugby Limited have this evening issued the following statement to fans:

"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 will 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. 

Keep safe everyone, Premiership Rugby."