RUGBY is over for another season.

We didn't think we would be saying that until the end of April, but the Rugby Football Union announced the decision on Friday to bring all competitions – bar the Premiership – to an end in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

First of all, the RFU should be given due credit for acting swiftly and removing one layer of uncertainty in an already uncertain time for everyone.

The decision to call it a day for another season does pose its own questions though, not least the question of how this season is resolved.

The RFU said in its statement on Friday that it will announce in April how the various leagues and cups will be resolved, ensuring a 'fair and balanced outcome' for all.

That last point is a bold claim, as every method of dealing with this incomplete season will have its winners and losers.

If we decide promotion and relegation on the current league tables, then clubs in second and third will argue that they could have closed the gap on the leaders in the last few games, while those at the bottom would argue that they could have hit form and climbed above their rivals.

An interesting case would be that of Saltash in Tribute Western Counties West, who are in the bottom two but have two games in hand on all teams around them. They would go down as it stands but they would only need one point from those two games to leapfrog Wiveliscombe into safety.

A table based on points per game could solve that problem, but with teams not having played every other team the same number of times, there will still be inequalities in which games hae already been played.

What if one team battling relegation had still to play three of the top four teams, while another on the same points per game has already played all of the top four? There is a good chance that the first team would see a drop in its points per game and finish below the second team.

That might call for the more drastic option of hitting the reset button and allowing teams to start fresh in September, but then the teams that were destined for league titles and promotion this season would have something to say about that one.

There is no obvious 'fair and balanced outcome' unfortunately, so it may simply have to be the least objectionable one, and it will be interesting to see path the RFU takes.