IRFU bosses admit to frustration that Rugby was included in phase five of the Irish Government's roadmap to a return.

The decision meant that rugby teams could only collectively return from August 10.

However Gaelic Games, for example, was allowed to resume similar activity in phase four, on July 20.

"Listen, I think we would've been a little frustrated, but I can understand people would have taken that view," said IRFU CEO Philip Browne.

"One level of frustration is that the sports know how they can mitigate some of the issues that the Public Health people would like to have comfort on.

"And one of the problems is that there's no dialogue - or there hasn't been direct dialogue between sport and those who are making decisions around the public health guidelines.

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"Hopefully that has been addressed now in that an expert group has been set up by Sport Ireland, which will effectively have a brief to look at different sports' plans to reopen and that expert group will then have a conduit to the Department of Health and those that are making decisions around public health guidelines.

"So I think we've now caught up to a position where there seems to be that level of dialogue and sport's voice is now in a position to be heard.

"Having said that, when you look at the challenges that are there for NPHET and the Department of Health, you can understand why they haven't had the time to deal with every sector of society.

"Everyone is asking the same questions and I'm sure it's a huge challenge for them.

"So I'm quite happy that now there's a process and a structure involved where sport's voice can be heard by those making the decisions around public health guidelines".