Falmouth RFC head coach Graham Whitmore says he is ‘not surprised’ about the Rugby Football Union’s decision to end the 2019/20 rugby season in England amid the coronavirus pandemic.

All sport in England was suspended on March 16 to reduce the spread of Covid-19, with the RFU then announcing on Friday (March 20) that the season was over, with all outstanding league and cup fixtures cancelled.

“I’m not surprised about the decision at all,” Whitmore said. “We’re in an unprecedented time aren’t we and facing lots of uncertainty but the health and safety of everyone is more important than the sport.

“The season was building up into what would have been certainly a tense run-in for six sides fighting to avoid relegation, but it is what it is and we’ve just got to look ahead and listen and find out what the RFU are going to make decision about how they’re going to structure the league season for next season.”

The RFU’s decision on how the season will be resolved is due in mid-April, and it will be eagerly anticipated by those at the Recreation Ground, with the Eagles entrenched in a six-way battle to avoid the drop in Tribute Western Counties West.

Falmouth ended the campaign in tenth, six points and three places above the relegation zone. Saltash and Cullompton occupy the two relegation spots, but the Ashes did have two games in hand on the rest of their rivals.

“I don’t know how they will look at it,” Whitmore said, “whether or not they decide not to have any promotions and relegations and to start the season with the same sides in the same leagues, I have no idea.

“You look at Saltash, who I think were on 32 points and had two games in hand over a number of sides, so even though they’re right towards the bottom of the table they would have a big argument to say where they would potentially would be able to finish.

“Two wins from those two games and they could be top of that mini group, so it would be interesting to see how they do organise it, and similar with what they do with promotion spaces.

“But as I say there’s more important things for us all to deal with than that at the moment, we’ve just got to wait until mid-April until we hear the decisions and move forward from next season.”