The Women’s Six Nations tournament has been thrown into doubt due to restrictions and testing surrounding the pandemic.

While the men’s tournament is due to begin on February 6, the women’s competition is yet to be given a start date.

Nicky Ponsford, the Rugby Football Union’s head of women’s performance, told the BBC: “I do have concerns about how well we are going to get through this period.

“I am relatively confident about how England are going to be able to deal with it, but there are different challenges in different unions.”

The complications come as England are the only professional squad in the tournament and many are questioning whether teams can be classed as ‘elite’. 

Six Nations organisers would want nations to follow elite guidelines, including quarantining and testing, but for many players it is difficult as they have other jobs.

England won a back-to-back Grand Slam last year but they were the only home nation to fulfill their fixtures.