Rugby union in Cumbria ground to a halt at the weekend, and might not resume before the scheduled season’s end.

Officially the season finishes at the end of April, leaving room for the County Championship games at the beginning of May.

Some clubs - including Carlisle - had started rearranging outstanding games for the first two weeks in May.

It all depends now on how long sport is shut down and how the country responds to the restrictions aimed at countering coronavirus.

China, where the virus is believed to have originated, seem to be through the worst of it after three months.

If it runs a similar course in the UK, a resumption in June is feasible, which may be too late to complete the current rugby union season.

So what happens next? With over 75 per cent of the games played, there has to be a way of working out a final table, fair to everyone.

As written elsewhere, it could be decided on a proven, old rugby union system – the merit table.

But in this case divide the points gained by the matches played.

That is, of course, just one option, and whatever is decided is sure to not please every club.

The main hope is that everyone is ready to go again in September, and there will not be another interruption of this nature, which has been the worst of its kind since World Wars intervened.