In a shambolic development on Friday afternoon the final match of the Championship was officially postponed while Scotland were warming up for their captain's run ahead of Saturday's game.

Joe Marler's 10-week ban for his fondling of Alun Wyn Jones' genitals has left Harlequins fuming. The England prop's club are angry at what they feel is an overly-severe punishment.

WILL KELLEHER: George North has had enough. Not of rugby, nor of playing for Wales but of them. North has had it with online trolls who spout vile bile at him and his family.

MIKE BROWN: It is that time of year where we all get asked to give our Six Nations awards so here goes. Rising star: Antoine Dupont. Best try: Justin Tipuric (v England).

INTERVIEW BY STEFFAN THOMAS: Jamie Roberts is far from your average rugby player and the former Wales centre is more qualified than most in sport to articulate his fears over coronavirus.

The Welsh Rugby Union announced on Tuesday that they had to take further measures to reduce costs with no money incoming with postponed indefinitely during pandemic.

Eddie Jones has urged Joe Marler not to quit rugby and has scheduled a meeting with the prop once the lockdown is over. Marler was handed a 10-week ban for grabbing Alun Wyn Jones' genitals.

The former Wales international Jamie Roberts had been playing for Super Rugby side Stormers in South Africa but flew home to the UK to help after the rugby season was put on hold.

Wales' leading internationals are set for a 25 per cent salary reduction for three months while Premiership Rugby is working on possible scenarios to restart the season.

EXCLUSIVE BY ALEX BYWATER: Hadleigh Parkes and Owen Williams are to end their Wales careers after they turning down offers in regional rugby in favour of big money moves to Japan.

With sport a long way from being permitted, rugby is bracing itself for catastrophic losses and Six Nations countries are desperate for the November Test matches to go ahead.

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has revealed that 'two or three' of his squad have tested positive for coronavirus. The pandemic saw the Six Nations brought to a halt before it could finish.

COMMENT: It is a sad fact that the main barrier to rugby's progress lies here; in the home nations and those other centres of the sport's narrow European landscape - France and Italy.

England forward Joe Marler will be free to play rugby when sport returns after the coronavirus shutdown - despite being handed a 10-week ban for squeezing Alun Wyn Jones' genitals.

EXCLUSIVE BY WILL KELLEHER: Wayne Pivac's side were due to play Japan in Shizuoka on June 27 before jetting down to New Zealand for a two-Test series shortly afterwards.

Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington saw his side's dreadful away record continue but lauded the performance of rookie Corry Evans.

England for the English? Well, not exactly, but a line has to be drawn somewhere and Adnan Januzaj may be it. Here's the latest debate. Enjoy...

Portugal may have been without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo but it was not less of a shock as they slumped to an embarrassing 1-0 defeat at home to Albania in their Euro 2016 qualifier. 

The scenes which surrounded Serbia's abandoned Euro 2016 qualifier with Albania caused much shock and amazement to all those watching.

Before every UEFA match there is a meeting of 'emergency personnel' who run through what to do in the event of any major incident before or during the match.

Albania's national team have been handed a heroes' welcome for their return home following the shocking violence that forced their Euro 2016 qualifier against Serbia to be abandoned.

Journalist Nick Ames provides his first-hand account of the chaotic scenes which led to the abandonment of the Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania.

Serbia's FA has reportedly called on UEFA to reward them with a 3-0 victory after their politically-charged Euro 2016 qualifier against Albania in Belgrade was abandoned.

Serbia and Albania can expect severe punishments after UEFA launched an investigation into a night of violence in Belgrade, described as ‘inexcusable’ by Michel Platini.

Albania claim their players were assaulted by fans, stewards and police in Belgrade at the now-infamous Euro 2016 qualifier against Serbia which was abandoned after the violent scenes.

Albanian internationals Lorik Cana, Etrit Berisha and Thomas Strakosha share the same Lazio dressing room in harmony with Serbia's Filip Djordevic and Dusan Basta.

Serbia have been awarded a 3-0 victory over Albania following their abandoned qualifier but they have also been deducted three points and ordered to play two games behind closed doors.

Antoine Griezmann came off the bench to salvage a draw for Euro 2016 hosts France with a late equaliser in Friday's friendly against Albania in Rennes.

Stefano Okaka scored a late goal on his debut to give Italy a 1-0 win over Albania in a friendly on Tuesday as they remained unbeaten in six games since the World Cup.

France national team boss Didier Deschamps has warned his players they are in for a tough ride ahead of their post-season international friendlies against Belgium and Albania.

France players including Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris were put through their paces at a training camp in Clairefontaine ahead of their international friendly with Albania on Saturday.

An impressive display from minnows Albania earned their first ever victory against France. The Euro 2016 hosts fell to the shock defeat courtesy of a sublime free-kick from youngster Ergys Kace.

A court ruling for appeals filed by the Serbian and Albanian football federation against UEFA sanctions after their European Championship qualifier was abandoned is expected by July 10.

Albania have been awarded a victory over Serbia by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after a Euro 2016 qualifier was abandoned when a drone with a political banner flew into the stadium.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal team-mates were all smiles on Thursday as they took to the training ground ahead of Friday's clash with France and Monday's game against Albania.

Denmark's Christian Eriksen remains sidelined with a knee injury but that did not prevent him from watching his national side draw 0-0 at home to Albania in their crunch Group I clash.

The Portugal squad flew to Albania on Saturday ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifier and Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma made sure they got the best seats... in the cockpit.

A stoppage time header by defender Miguel Veloso gave Portugal a 1-0 win in Albania and allowed them to extend their lead on top of Euro 2016 qualifying Group I on Monday.

A bus carrying the Serbia squad was hit by stones within hours of the team arriving in Albania on Wednesday for a Euro 2016 qualifier, a year after their previous encounter was abandoned in chaos.

Chelsea duo Branislav Ivanovic and Nemanja Matic were forced off with injuries before Serbia downed bitter rivals Albania 2-0 to give themselves some pride in Euro 2016 qualifying.

Germany, Poland, Romania and Albania successfully reached Euro 2016 as the final round of qualifying matches continued on Sunday. Constantin Budescu struck twice for Romania.

JOE BERNSTEIN: There is no more unlikely qualifier for Euro 2016 than Albania whose footballers have shown there is more to the former Iron Curtain secret state than a fixation for Norman Wisdom.

The two sides have been paired together in Group A, and while Albania could field six Swiss-born players, Switzerland have more than half-a-dozen potential starters eligible for their opponents.

Some of them have been there, a few of them have done it - but do the managers who are guiding 24 national sides at Euro 2016 really know what their players are going through?

Albania leveled quickly after conceding an early goal, but gave away another goal at the start of the new half, and Ukraine, also going to Euro 2016, sealed the win with two minutes to go.

The wait is nearly over as the 24 teams who will take to the field at Euro 2016 are put the finishing touches on their preparations.

Figures – collated by the Association of Accounting Technicians using player values according to transfermarkt.com – value the German squad at £421.4million with England at £334.5m.

The biggest-ever Euros kick off this week with 24 teams, 51 matches and a month of top-class action throughout France. To keep track of events, grab yourself a copy of our superb wallchart.

JACK GAUGHAN: They are the minnows of Euro 2016. You would be hard pressed to find a supporter outside of the area au fait with their history. Albania do not conjure memories of football.

They are the stars that will light up Euro 2016, and they have been immortalised in glossy posters ahead of the start of the biggest tournament in this year's sporting calendar.