IN VIEW of the poor state of grounds due to the prolonged heatwave, the English Rugby Football Union has delayed the start of league rugby until late September.

In a statement issued to clubs, the RFU says: "After careful consideration and extensive consultation with clubs across England, we have decided to delay the start of the competitive community game season until the week commencing, Monday, September 21.

"We appreciate this will be disappointing news to clubs, players and volunteers who have been getting ready for and looking forward to the new season but there are a range of factors we’ve considered carefully before making this decision."

However, pre-season training can continue provided ‘pitch safety is assessed before every session,’ and friendly matches can go ahead, again with safety in mind.

The RFU says the delay gives clubs, schools, colleges and universities the certainly needed to ‘plan training, fixtures, travel and logistics with confidence.’