Sale’s clash with Worcester is postponed until Wednesday after club reported positive COVID-19 tests

Sale Sharks’ final Premiership match against Worcester Warriors has been postponed to Wednesday after the club reported a number of COVID-19 positive tests, the Premiership announced on Saturday.

Sportsmail reported on Friday that the climax to the Premiership season was in chaos after 16 players and a number of staff tested positive. 

Sharks had initially said that Sunday’s match would go ahead while Warriors, who said all their tests were negative, released a contrasting statement that the match was ‘still the subject of discussions’ before the Premiership stepped in.

Sale Sharks’ Premiership clash with Worcester has been postponed until Wednesday after a number of Sharks players tested positive for coronavirus

The Premiership carried out an ‘urgent review’ and a contact tracing program along with Public Health England and the local health authorities before deciding to postpone the match.

‘In light of the unprecedented situation facing Premiership Rugby we have been forced to postpone the match,’ the Premiership’s chief executive Darren Childs said in a statement.

‘Our priority is the health and well-being of everyone involved, and we won’t compromise this. But as this match has such a critical bearing on deciding the Premiership Rugby champions, we wanted to do everything we could to play it.’

Premiership chief Darren Childs said it could not compromise the health of those involved 

The Sharks are fourth in the standings and forfeiting the game would have seen them lose out on a playoff spot, with fifth-placed Bristol Bears also on 64 points ahead of their final match against the London Irish.

Childs added that the match would only go ahead after an additional round of testing at Sale on Tuesday and both teams will not be allowed to register new players with the Rugby Football Union prior to the game.

The Premiership season, which was suspended in March due to the pandemic, restarted in August and the remaining final round matches will be played on Sunday with all matches kicking off simultaneously.