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Non-contact rugby could be the short-term solution in England

By Online Editors
Steve Grainger. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Plans are being drawn up for rugby union in England to be played without scrummaging, tackling and mauling next season to increase the likelihood of some form of the game returning if the Covid-19 lockdown is eased.

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An internal working group at the England Rugby Football Union is understood to be working on a number of variations of what is being described as ‘rugby activity’ – focusing on reducing the levels of contact in the sport to encourage players to return to their clubs next season even if full contact is not permissible because of continuing social distancing measures.

In New Zealand, the plans for rugby post-Covid-19 have yet to be revealed but once the government announces Level 2 restrictions today it is believed works will begin across how professional and grassroots rugby will look.

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In England, a range of phased activities are being considered, starting from social-distanced training to forms of competitive touch rugby and a shortened version of the game similar to X-rugby, played on half a pitch with limited contact.

Given the intensity of the contact involved in scrummaging, tackling and mauling, there is a growing acceptance that these will be the last aspects of the sport that are allowed to return in the community game and may not be possible until next year.

“By rugby activity we are definitely not talking about 15-a-side, full-on contact rugby,” said Steve Grainger, the RFU’s director of rugby development.

“There are a whole range of activities that you could create without having 16 people in a scrum.

“That is probably the most invasive and intensive form of contact that we are going to have. Or a pile of people in a ruck.

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“Those are the things I think that are quite hard to see your way past with the sort of virus that we have had. They seem like they will be the last things to come back.

“We are looking at staging posts all the way along that – from a situation where a group of people can start to handle a ball together through to a situation where a group of people can start to challenge another group of people with a ball in their hands.

“I think we will get to a situation with a non-contact or limited contact variant of the game such as X-rugby. The return of contact activity will then engineer when the competitive programme can start.”

There are also concerns within the governing body that even if UK Government directives allow rugby to return to full contact next season, players may be put off returning because of the public health concerns.

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A nationwide consultation process across England is also expected to be rolled out over the summer to gauge the level of interest from grass-roots players to return to full contact rugby.

“Even when [full contact] is permitted, it will be assessing people’s appetite to actually engage in it,” Grainger added.

“If we are going to try to get 30 people back onto a community rugby pitch in a local community somewhere and 16 of them plus two scrum-halves know that they have got to get pretty close to each other on a fairly regular basis, you only need 25 per cent of them to say ‘no thanks’ and all of a sudden you have not got a game.”

“Once lockdown starts to get lifted the other piece of work we will start to gradually do is talk to and hear from players about what they feel is their degree of appetite and tolerance to get back involved.

“We are reckoning that we are going to need between four to six weeks from contact training to be able to get going to competitive rugby happening. There will probably be some differential between National One and Level 12 because the demands on the players will be very different.”

The return of mini and junior rugby, the areas that are generally thriving in most grass-roots clubs, is also uncertain because of parental concerns.

“Whatever happens, 2020-21 is going to be a transition season,” Grainger added. “If we have a group of nine-year-olds who play no rugby because parents don’t want them in that environment, we have got to keep them engaged, interested and motivated in the game and if we do that we have to have every confidence they will come back in the following season.”

Another RFU working group is also examining competition structures from National One and below if the season is not able to start as scheduled, including the worst case scenario of abandonment.

“We have a couple of groups established who were already looking at the options and scenarios for competition programmes, one in the age-grade game and one in the adult game because again clearly if we can commence in September, the programme at least can commence,” Grainger added.

“But if we get into October, or worse still into January, the pressure on the season, the position of cup and representative rugby will have to be carefully considered.

“That group is going to have to consider everything from a fully operational normal league programme right through to total abandonment of the league programme and just let clubs play when they can.”

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J
Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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