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The Gallagher Premiership will aim to restart the season on Aug. 15, it announced on Friday. The league was originally scheduled to return on April 24 but has since been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus crisis. Last week, the UK government gave permission for elite sport to return behind closed doors from June 1 and the league is preparing to resume in August. "Nothing will happen until it is safe to do so but we will do everything we can to resume the 2019-20 Gallagher Premiership Rugby campaign on Saturday Aug. 15," Premiership Rugby chief executive Darren Childs said in a statement. The return date was welcomed by clubs. "We won't take risks with people's health, and rugby has unique challenges due to levels of proximity and impact, but with a number of clubs moving to Stage One, it is important for us to give players, coaches and clubs clarity on when they can look to return. Bearing that in mind, we look forward to the restart of the season," chief executive of Bath Rugby Tarquin McDonald said in a statement. "This is hugely positive news -- we are all desperate to get back and play. The safety of our staff and players remains our top priority, and our Performance Department and support staff have done an excellent job ensuring we can commence individual training from 15th June in line with guidance from the Professional Game Board. "We welcome this news and crucially can now set timeframes in order to maximise our athletes' readiness for a return to competition when that time comes in August." The announcement comes after clubs were given the green light to resume individual training on Tuesday. Exeter Chiefs were top of the standings with 45 points when the season was suspended, five ahead of Sale Sharks with nine rounds remaining. In March, England's Rugby Football Union (RFU) cancelled this season's Championship and cup competitions. Scottish Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union also announced their domestic seasons would not restart, while French Top 14 rugby league organisers (LNR) abandoned their campaign without naming a champion and scrapped relegation.
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