Premiership clubs hope to resume season in July after coronavirus hiatus

Premiership rugby is working on a best-case scenario of resuming playing matches on the weekend of July 3-5.

The last round of matches in the league were played on the weekend of March 7-8 with all games since then postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But the league’s 12 clubs are committed to finishing the season with the prospect of many of the matches set to be played midweek to meet the demand on the fixture list.

And the dream scenario is for the Premiership final to be played at Twickenham on August 15 but fixtures are reliant on social-distancing guidelines being reduced and coronavirus testing available for clubs.

The home of English rugby is currently hosting a drive-through coronavirus testing facility for NHS staff and key workers, the RFU confirmed on Monday.

The facility has been set up outside the 82,000-seater stadium in west London, which hosts England internationals and other rugby union matches as well as events such as music concerts, and is one of 32 such sites created as part of the government’s partnership with universities, research institutes and companies.

NHS staff and key workers can receive PCR swab tests via appointment.