THE Southern Inland Rugby Union (SIRU) season will not begin until the beginning of June, at least.
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Rugby Australia announced on Friday that all community rugby has been further postponed until June 1.
The Southern Inland season was due to get underway on Saturday before the coronavirus outbreak.
"During this postponement we will continue working with stakeholders across community rugby to plan for a range of recommencement dates to ensure that as soon as Government restrictions are lifted, the community is ready to mobilise and deliver great rugby experiences in 2020," Rugby Australia's general manager of community rugby, James Selby, said.
"In the interest of the safety and welfare of all participants, preparation and training time will be factored in ahead of rugby competitions recommencing."
"Community rugby and its people are the lifeblood of our great game and our decisions will always be made with the interests of participants, families and the broader community as the priority.
"Once again, we want to thank our entire community for its understanding and patience through this time and encourage everyone to continue to follow Government and health advice to keep them and their families safe."
SIRU have already indicated they are open to a later grand final this year, beyond the original date of September 12.
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