FRANCE’S RUGBY COMPETITION organisers the LNR today announced that the Top14 2019/20 season will not be resumed.

Club presidents spoke last night and agreed to abandon plans to restart the season, instead focusing on beginning the 2020/21 season fresh in September.

After 17 rounds of fixtures, Bordeaux had led the Top14 with Lyon occupying second in the table.

“After consultation with the presidents of Top 14 and PRO D2 clubs,” said a statement from the LNR today.

“The Board will propose to the LNR Management Committee not to follow up on having playoffs at the end of August to close the 2019-2020 season, to pronounce the end of this 2019-2020 season and to focus on the organisation of the launch of the 2020-2021 editions of the two championships starting in September 2020.”

The management committee must meet to ratify the decision to cancel the season, but the move has cast further doubt on the viability of the European Rugby season.

Rugby was halted during the Six Nations and ahead of the Champions Cup quarter-finals, which was set to feature three French clubs; the all-French clash between Racing 92 and Clermont, plus Ulster’s trip to Toulouse.