Premiership Rugby has called on the services of PricewaterhouseCoopers to guide its plans to restart the season, the Guardian understands. Having ambitiously declared that the English top flight was aiming to be “the first sport back on TV” in March, the PRL chief executive, Darren Childs, has now turned to the multinational company for assistance at considerable cost. It is understood PwC has a broad remit with a particular focus on legal issues, risk management and procuring Covid‑19 tests. As and when government policy allows for crowds, PwC will assess whether letting fans into stadiums is viable but the expectation remains that this season will be completed behind closed doors. One well-placed source described the move as exposing PRL’s limitations but league officials insist that, as a small company, it is “entirely correct” to call on project management experts. A Premiership Rugby spokesperson said: “It’s vital we work with the very best advisers to restart rugby in a way that protects the health and welfare of our players, staff and fans, and we’re delighted to have PwC supporting us on this project. PwC brings vast experience in supporting organisations as they navigate complex and fast-moving situations, so are perfectly placed to help us ensure we return to play in a way that mitigates risk and gives a level of comfort to all of our players and clubs.” Last week a rift between PRL and its 13 members emerged when a number of clubs issued a fierce statement directed at the Rugby Players’ Association, seemingly without PRL’s knowledge. PRL insists that all clubs have been made aware of PwC’s involvement but the owners may wonder why consultants are being employed at no little cost given the financial crisis in which they find themselves. PRL has a provisional restart date of 15 August but, with the second cluster of clubs returning to training this week, details of a fixture list and whether matches will be played at neutral venues have not been forthcoming. Clubs are still awaiting approval to return to stage two of training, which will allow for contact drills – a situation complicated by the fact that players will not be eligible for the government’s furlough scheme when they do. PRL is also yet to announce its testing procedure but the plan is for players to be tested when stage two begins. Childs is coming under increasing pressure, having not spoken in public for the past three months. Given his background in TV he was expected to secure a bumper new broadcast – the current BT Sport contract expires next year – but he has been unable to do so and is now hindered by the pandemic. PRL has also been preoccupied by the continuing argument over whether club rugby or Tests should take priority in October.