York have been told they must rearrange their Betfred Championship match against Rochdale, which was postponed at short notice on Sunday.

The Hornets called off the game at short notice at the Crown Oil Arena amid high winds which they say prevented the ground staff from removing the pitch covers and erecting rugby posts in a safe manner.

The City Knights cast doubt over their hosts' explanation and claimed the points but the board of the Rugby Football League has ruled that a replay was necessary "in order to protect the integrity of the competition".

An RFL spokesman added: "In making the decision, the board took account of the submissions made by each party and also considered the views of an independent ground safety expert on the submissions made by Rochdale.

"Rochdale will be responsible for meeting the duplicated costs of the York City Knights team and the RFL match officials.

"In addition, the matter will separately be considered by the RFL compliance manager as potential off-field misconduct by Rochdale Hornets in respect of the failure to have a ground that meets the laws of the game and in relation to the process that was followed on the weekend."

Meanwhile, the RFL has announced there will be a minute's silence before all Super League, Championship and League One matches this weekend as a mark of respect following the shootings in New Zealand, a nation "with which we share so many rugby league connections".