The Energia All Ireland League will not be completed this season.  The decision was made yesterday by the Rugby Committee of the IRFU to end the entire domestic season with immediate effect.

There will be no champions, no winners, no promotion, no relegation.  But there will be hope that by the time the scheduled start of the new season comes around that the crisis will be over and a greater degree of normality returned to.

There was no reference to sponsors Energia and no mention on their social media channels last night but it can only be assumed that CEO Gary Ryan and the team were notified of the likelihood and then the decision.

Video content from the Energia All Ireland Leagues has been given a high priority on Irish Rugby Channels over recent weeks.

Regret

Cork Constitution will have the greatest regret among the clubs having been assured of topping Division 1A being unbeaten and 12 points clear with only four games remaining.

UL Bohemian were in a similarly dominant position in the Women’s League, unbeaten and 11 points clear of Railway Union with only two matches remaining.

The focus now will switch to matters of provincial and national concern with the Guinness PRO14 also announcing their arrangements for a potential conclusion to the season yesterday and word still awaited from the organisers of the Heineken Champions’ Cup and the Guinness Six Nations.

Statement

In a statement issued at nearly 8 pm last night, the IRFU confirmed that

“The directive applies to all incomplete national and provincial competitions.”

“Cups will be shared by finalists, where cup competitions have reached the final fixture.”

“There will be no promotion or relegation in any of the five divisions of the Energia Men’s All-Ireland League.”

“The planned expansion of the Energia Women’s All-Ireland League for the 2020/21 season remains in place.”

“There will be no league or cup winners in any competition organised at a national level including the Energia All-Ireland Leagues, Energia Women’s All-Ireland Cup and the Energia Bateman Cup.”

“The Fraser McMullen U20 Cup, the Junior Interprovincial Championships and the round-robin qualifiers for the Energia All-Ireland League will not take place.”

20/21 Season

“Government action in combatting the virus looks set to continue beyond March 29th. Irish Rugby wants to play its part while giving clubs the chance to put plans in place for the 2020/21 season.”

“The decision to end the domestic rugby season for 2019/2020 season has not been made lightly,” added IRFU Director of Rugby Development Colin McEntee.

“All options were discussed and the IRFU is satisfied it has arrived at the only equitable solution.”

“These are challenging times for us all and we know clubs will be impacted by this directive, but we will look back at this season as one where we put the physical welfare of our rugby community above all else.”

“Clubs are now in a position to make plans for the 2020/21 season. We look forward to marking the 30th anniversary of the All-Ireland League.”





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