This comes as the travel ban to several European countries by South Africans will make it impossible to go and compete abroad.

This weekend the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers were all set to compete in the first round of derby fixtures.

While there is no official word from SA Rugby or Celtic Rugby, the Stormers coach, John Dobson, says they are still preparing to face the Sharks.

“We know there's going to be serious rugby between now and the British & Irish Lions tour.

“There's a meeting this afternoon about the exact format of the competition.

“We just finished a full-on training session preparing for Friday night and we're waiting to hear about that. It was a really good session.”

The cancellation of the Rainbow Cup should mean the birth of the Franchise Cup. However, OFM Sport understands that the start of the Rainbow Cup may be delayed by a week and will now start on 1 May. 

The European teams will compete in the Rainbow Cup North, while the South African franchises will battle it out in the Rainbow Cup South. This has, however, not been confirmed.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport