Warriors’ Gallagher Premiership match against Newcastle Falcons at Sixways on Saturday has been called off by Premiership Rugby.
Newcastle Falcons returned positive tests in the latest round of PCR testing, which took place on Monday. In consultation with Public Health England and the Professional Rugby Testing Oversight Group, the match has been cancelled and the Newcastle Falcons’ training has been halted, with the next round of testing on Monday February 22.
A Premiership Rugby spokesperson said: “The health and safety of players, management, staff and match officials is our priority, and we wish those who have tested positive at the Falcons a safe and speedy recovery.
“Newcastle Falcons had a small number of positive tests last week and this has been followed by more this week, and the closure of their training ground so the match at Sixways Stadium – scheduled for this Saturday – cannot go ahead.
“Neither Premiership Rugby nor the club will be naming any of the players or staff involved and we’d ask everyone to respect their privacy.
“We expect the other five matches in Round 10 of Gallagher Premiership Rugby to go ahead.”
Under the Premiership Rugby regulations, the match between Worcester Warriors and Newcastle Falcons is cancelled. A Premiership Rugby panel will now be convened to determine the allocation of points and a further announcement will be made in due course.
Although Warriors are disappointed that a second home match this season has been cancelled we fully understand the situation and support the decision.
The safety and wellbeing of players, officials and staff in these worrying times is the sole consideration when making these decisions.
Warriors wish all those affected at Newcastle Falcons a full and speedy recovery and thank Newcastle and Premiership Rugby Limited for the professional and efficient manner this matter has been dealt with.
- The Professional Game Board (PGB) has agreed that from Monday February 15, PCR Covid-19 testing should revert to once a week testing for teams in Gallagher Premiership Rugby and Greene King IPA Championship.Following the significant decrease in community prevalence of Covid-19 and a reduction in the number of positive tests in the professional game, consultation has been undertaken with independent experts and representatives from Public Health England (PHE) to consider the data that shows that in the elite rugby environment prevalence is far below that of the community due to reduced mixing and intensive protocols.