Where games have been cancelled, four points have been awarded to the Club that did not cause the fixture to be called off, with the other side getting two points. Consequently it is a possibility that the bottom club at the end of the season could turn out to be one that has not had any matches called off while other teams have picked up points for not playing.

Unsurprisingly, Gloucester – currently bottom of the Premiership – are one of the louder voices in the debate:

“The prospect of a team getting relegated because they stayed fit and healthy does not feel right …” says CEO Lance Bradley, but with only 1 win out of 6 this season, perhaps Gloucester should focus more on their on-field efforts? 

The situation isn’t helped, of course, by cock-ups in testing – with Bath being forced into mass self-isolation this week following a significant number of positive cases being reported in error by Randox Health (when the actual number of positive tests turned out to be one). 

As for the Relegation question, I can understand the concerns of certain clubs who could face dropping out of the Premiership, with horrendous economic consequences, purely because a rival team had picked up points for not playing. 

That said, I do feel the issue remains something of a red herring and, at the risk of horribly mangling my metaphors, that suspending relegation would merely be a case of applying a sticking plaster to a gaping wound. 

At the risk of repeating myself yet again (for an example, please see The Big Issue: Professional Rugby),  I firmly believe that what is needed is a proper belt and braces reform to professional club rugby in England and, ultimately, for there to be clear delineation between maybe 16 or so elite professional clubs, properly funded by the corporate world and supported by paying fans, and the amateur game supported by the RFU. 

It may be something of a pipedream, but you know it makes sense.