Bristol Bears v London Irish cancelled

Premiership Rugby can confirm that London Irish’s Gallagher Premiership Rugby match against Bristol Bears - scheduled for today - has been called off.

London Irish returned positive Covid-19 tests this week and a significant number of their playing squad were ruled out of the match through the contact tracing process. This meant London Irish were unable to fulfil the fixture at Ashton Gate, something that was only confirmed this morning.

A Premiership Rugby spokesperson said: "Our priority is the health and safety of everyone involved with London Irish and Bristol Bears and we will give the clubs any support they need. We wish everyone affected a full and speedy recovery.

"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."

Under the Premiership Rugby regulations, the match between London Irish and Bristol Bears will be 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.

Click here to read the clauses about Covid in the Premiership Rugby regulations.