Sporting fixtures have been decimated as a result of the rapidly spreading Coronavirus, but as rugby gets cancelled and real-life realities take over it brings a true reflection on how big a part sport plays in our lives.
Six Nations headlines the bill
Of all the rugby fixtures cancelled the Guinness Six Nations falls on top of that pile.
Wales vs Scotland was left disastrously late before getting culled from the schedule, for now. There have been no dates set out for most fixtures, but fans will be praying that this blows over soon and we can all resume normality.
The tie, due to be held at the Principality Stadium on Saturday was the fourth postponement of the tournament and followed the domestic leagues after mounting pressure on the WRU board.
Rugby cancelled
France has said goodbye to its rugby season for the time being with no Top14 action taking place indefinitely. Toulon has cancelled ticket sale for their quarter-final match against the Scarlets and it leaves that tournament in doubt, with no official confirmation yet.
Scotland has cancelled all rugby at any level and saw their U20s play their away game behind closed doors in Colwyn Bay on Friday night.
Ireland has started closing borders to flights and as such the Guinness PRO14 has postponed all its fixtures for the foreseeable future.
The Premiership Rugby Cup was postponed on Saturday morning, but no official action has yet been taken on the Gallagher Premiership, of which wasn’t set to resume action this weekend.
Super Rugby has also suspended its season.
Some hooker fun. Elias on the wing though according to bib…. pic.twitter.com/yEohRGgS2B
— Robert Rees (@Rreesrugby) March 13, 2020
Where has all the sport gone?
Major causalities to the virus has seen the EFL cancel all action, the Old Firm derby has also been ceased. Euro2020 will now seem likely to be postponed to allow fixtures to continue into the summer.
The Masters golf and the Vietnam and Bahrain Grand Prix’s have been temporarily stopped and the Rotterdam leg of Premier League darts has been re-scheduled.
England cricket’s tour to Sri Lanka has been delayed and no warm-up tests will be played and all Welsh football has been cancelled or postponed.
Sport is important but unimportant
Sport is important in a lot of people’s lives, but there is far more pressing matters on the world’s agenda. I and many others may be employed in the sport, but public health was always going to determine whether I was able to get work in the coming weeks.
People have died and despite relatively low mortality rates in most countries you can see why governing bodies, stadiums and clubs have closed their doors. The last thing they would want is a death linked to their fixtures!
Sport will find itself again and despite theories that fixtures will just get binned and we’ll all get restarted in September the rumours are very much just adding unnecessary fuel to the flames.
Sport will take its rightful place on the mantlepiece once again, but in the meantime we’ll just have to settle for what life deals with.
Social media can often be a nasty place, but this mass culling of fixtures should be time to reflect on what really matters in life.
Rugby lies beneath most of that.
“Main photo credit”
