As rugby union shuts doors, NRL season to go ahead despite pandemic
The NRL aims to forge on with the 2020 premiership, also planning a host of contingencies, even after major rival AFL called a halt in the face of increasing coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
As the AFL suspended its men’s competition and abandoned the women’s finals series on Sunday, the NRL was confident new federal government advice against “non-essential” travel wouldn’t affect them due to their use of chartered planes.
WATCH: The Tri-Nations in the ’90s and ’00s was the peak for the three powers of World Rugby as even the great All Blacks struggled to win the Bledisloe Cup.
The NRL believes it is significantly different to the AFL in that the majority of its teams are based in NSW and Queensland, rather than all over the country, and it will be able to keep playing at least until the government or health officials tell them to stop.
They are concerned by the “catastrophic” financial impact any stop in play will have and acknowledge they may have to rearrange their season at any moment.
The NSW and Victorian governments announced on Sunday that they will pursue a partial shutdown of non-essent ial services over the next 48 hours.
There was also a national cabinet meeting scheduled for Sunday night, where further limitations could be implemented.
Regardless, ARLC chairman Peter V’landys was confident the NRL would find a way to complete the 25-round season and finals with the league willing to play until as late as December 20.
“We are prepared for the worst, and we have looked at every contingency. We’re ready for whatever they throw at us,” V’landys told Triple M on Sunday.
“We’ve got a four-week window that we can work with during State Of Origin.
“There is a bye round and a (split) round, and we can always extend the season.
“It just really depends when we have to pull the lever to suspend the season.
“The longer we can go the better it is.”
The NRL would be staring at a loss of up to $500 million if this year’s campaign is cancelled, with clubs facing dire financial peril.
In turn, the NRL has h ad assurances from biosecurity and pandemic consultants that it could keep some teams playing if a player tests positive to the virus, and have other sides make up matches later.
The option could of a string of Magic Round-style weekends is still on the table, where players are locked into one region together to avoid travel.
“There is a whiteboard at NRL head office full of contingencies and how we deal with these contingencies,” V’landys said.
“Even a complete lockdown we have a strategy for that.
“We have been proactive the whole way through and will continue to do so.”
V’landys also said conversations had begun around whether players would have to take pay cuts, as per the collective bargaining agreement if significant revenue is lost.
Meanwhile, both the NRL and players’ union plan to meet again on Monday to work towards finalising self-isolation requirements for players in a bid to protect the sport from the virus if the compe tition continues.
Players have been urged to exercise common sense while they are away from training and games.
V’landys stated on Sunday players would attract heavy penalties if they broke the measures, however, AAP understands that could be met with resistance from the union.
– AAP
Comments on RugbyPass
The game was already over leave the bloke alone ….from a Welsh fan 😀👍
2 Go to commentsShamefully the Toulouse players acted like footballers, falling down feigning injury at the slightest knock. About time refs penalised this play acting.
6 Go to commentsAnother non Scot for the anti Scot Townsend. Soon there will be no Scottish born and bred players in the National team.
1 Go to commentsGreat comeback to the playing field by Richie Mo’unga after the loss of his father. A great performance by Richie . I know him well and he is a great guy. On and off the field one of the greatest for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson would have loved him in his All Black’s side. A very missed player and person.
1 Go to commentsYeah nah he comes across as a funny bloke, but that stopped abruptly after the Nutcracker Prince debacle✋
2 Go to commentsAt this point I can’t watch him without thinking he’s a dirty slimebag. He should have been banned for the same amount of time that Quinn was out. It took Tupaea near on a fricking year to get fit enough to play again and his leg will never be the same. The other crap thing is that he was at ABs level and now he has to claw his way back there when he could have had several games under his belt.
4 Go to commentsThe Black Ferns 7’s have been without Captain Sarah Hirini now since Dec 23 in Dubai where she suffered a bad ACL injury - hopefully she is on the road to recovery for Madrid and Paris. Now also have Tyler King and Shiray kaka on the Injured List but the Team still found a way to win in Singapore and claim the overall Title.
1 Go to commentsUtter grub, hope he gets his leg broken. Shocking he is still playing after intentionally breaking quinn tupaeas knee
4 Go to commentsGreat to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
4 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
13 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
13 Go to commentsEnd to end play, “THE FANS” this game was entertainment of the best. The conditions added to the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsSorry to say, but sadly the sadas were just ordinary and havilli at 10 as an abs selection just won’t cut it. He’s better suited in the centre’s and is a victim of past charge down kicks, he’s too slow under pressure. There’s better talent further north and I don’t mean dmac however I believe razor will sort him out. A feature of his presents on the park is the fact that the guys will follow him.
13 Go to commentsMarler was brilliant throughout both in the scrum and open play. His slap made virtually no contact with Ramos who milked it for a penalty when he could have been a decent sportsman and laughed it off, it was non-violent and shouldn't have been penalised. Smith failed repeatedly to kick when necessary and put up a couple of bombs into the TLS 22 that just handed back possession at key moments to the other side.
3 Go to commentsCros was outstanding and rightly awarded France TVs player of the match award. Mallia was brilliant as usual (the y is below the 6 on a UK keyboard and he deserves better than that). Level also seems to have been scored harshly as he walked the ball into touch under pressure from a Lynagh kick from well outside his own half which should never have led to a 50-22. Agree with BullShark that Dupont, while class at times, seemed to go missing for patches in the second half with props, hookers and wings frequently filling in at 9 as he couldn't get off the deck and up to the next ruck on time. A 7 by his standards at best, his kicking was also too long, too often. Kinghorn's overall contribution was worth well more than a five.
6 Go to commentsThe Harlequins team must be in minus figures. Did the reporter actually watch the game?
6 Go to commentsHow on earth did Walker escape a red card? Not dangerous? Dupont has his face in a mask earlier this season. Shocking decision. What is the point of TMOs? We had the Fassi ‘non-penalty try’ yesterday and now this.
2 Go to commentsCould have been a different result but yet again French tv able to affect the result by not showing the very clear high shot on harlequin centre if this would have been on a French player would have been on screen at least five times
3 Go to commentsAmazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
6 Go to comments