The decision to stop the code from under 6s to open age competitions until the first weekend of May is aimed at slowing down the spread of the coronavirus. 

"Community rugby league doesn’t have the ability to enforce the same social distancing procedures as the elite game," said NRL's Luke Ellis.

"That’s why, in partnership with our state bodies, we have chosen to err on the side of caution."

NSWRL have taken the precaution with their major competitions. The Canterbury Cup (NRL’s reserve grade) and 11 others have been prevented from taking the field until at least May 31.

New Zealand Warriors and NSWRL have agreed that the feeder team to the senior side in the NRL will not be playing in the Canterbury Cup for the rest of the year with complexities of travel restriction on both sides of the Tasman forcing the decision.

The Queensland governing body QRL have halted their highest-ranking Intrust Super Cup competition but hope to restart the tournament on June 5 with enough time for all teams to play each other once before the finals.

The future of the NRL itself though is still in doubt following this weekend. Round 2 will be the first to be played behind closed doors though the continuation of fixtures are still up in the air. 

The NRL are under intense financial pressure to keep the competition alive, with TV income dependent on games taking place.

Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith has now spoken out against the NRL continuing. 

He told Triple M: "There’s commitments in place with broadcasters and whatnot but I think we need to look at the bigger picture and get control of what’s going on with this virus, make sure the safety and health of all Australians is paramount."