Aussie Super Rugby eyes early July return

Australia's Super Rugby competition is planning for an early July return, a spokesman said Saturday, after the coronavirus outbreak derailed the season and sparked turmoil within the sport's cash-strapped governing body. Rugby Australia's board suffered another tumultuous week with new director Peter Wiggs -- who had been tipped to take over the chairman's role -- quitting after just five weeks in the job.

His departure followed the resignation last month of chief executive Raelene Castle after pressure from the board and a simmering financial crisis. Clubs are set to begin training in the coming days under strict health regulations aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 among players, a spokesman said on Saturday.

"We do not have a confirmed date for the resumption of Super Rugby in Australia, however early July presents a best-case scenario," he added. This year's Super Rugby competition saw seven rounds played before the pandemic forced a stop to the season in March.

The modified domestic fixture will not include matches against international opponents but will reportedly see the return of the Perth-based Western Force, which left the top-flight competition in 2017. New Zealand has also announced its own domestic competition for its five teams playing over 10 rounds in closed stadiums.

The COVID-19 shutdown has intensified financial strains on Rugby Australia, which was already struggling after reaching a multi-million dollar settlement with star try-scorer Israel Folau over his sacking for homophobic comments. It reported a provisional Aus$9.4 million ($6 million) operating deficit last year and has laid off 75 percent of staff to cut costs during the coronavirus emergency.