Premiership and European rugby prepares for coronavirus shutdown

Length of postponement to be confirmed on MondaySRU announce hardship fund for grassroots clubsPremiership rugby union fixtures are to be postponed with immediate effect because of the coronavirus outbreak with European competitions set to be mothballed as well. The announcement will be made officially after a series of meetings to debate the best way ahead conclude on Monday.With the Pro14 and Top 14 having already confirmed the suspension of all games for the foreseeable future, there appears to be little prospect of Premiership fixtures in England resuming before next month at the earliest.…