The men’s and women’s All-Ireland league seasons have been cancelled.
Following a meeting of the Union Committee it has been decided that the 2020/21 Energia All Ireland Leagues for men and women will not proceed, due to the on-going impact of Covid-19.
The Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial series will also not take place until the 2021/22 season.
The IRFU and the four provinces will now work with clubs to look at the completion of the Engeria Community Series and to review alternative forms of rugby, such as Lucozade Sport Touch and Volkswagen Tag, which may provide players with much sought after rugby later in the year.
Greg Barrett, Chair of the IRFU Rugby Committee, said, “As Covid-19 continues to impact our lives we had to make the difficult decision to cancel the 2020/21 All Ireland Leagues and the women’s interprovincial championship.
A huge amount of work is on-going, and we continue to look at avenues that may provide players and clubs with the rugby that they love.
In the meantime, we will continue to innovate and develop education opportunities that can help players developing skills beyond the traditional forms of training for the game. With over 10,000 players signed up to our ‘Level Up’ workshops, we are helping players develop understanding and skills that will stand to them for many seasons to come.
Our commitment to players and our clubs remains clear – we will continue to adopt a flexible approach to season planning and will proceed with rugby when cleared to do so by government guidelines.”
