Penalties for COVID Breaches

[WhitecapTiger]

Clubs could be fined or deducted points or have individual players banned for breaches of coronavirus rules when the Premiership season restarts.

The penalties come into force as teams travel to matches on Friday 14 August, the first round since resumption.

Rules include teams travelling on two buses to maintain social distancing and players staying in single hotel rooms.

Any potential breaches will be investigated by the Rugby Football Union's disciplinary head David Barnes.

Dependent on the severity of the breach Barnes can convene a disciplinary panel to assess the case and determine the outcome.

Any infringement will be categorised as "intentional, reckless or careless" and then as high, medium or low consequence.

The rules have been announced after the third round of test results for the Premiership saw two players test positive for coronavirus, a significant reduction on the previous two weeks.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/53511058

If needed, then hopefully used sensibly after 'investigation' of potential breaches, don't hold the masses guilty for the sins of the few/individual. I'm thinking along lines of players going home to family (Jofra Archer in cricket springs to mind) and breaching any bio-secure environment rules.

[Mark62]

I am a bit confused by this. As I understand it Archer nipped home on his way from the Southampton bio secure environment to the Manchester bio secure environment, which was why he had to isolate for 5 days.
Well our lads, playing at Exeter, will probably travel down by coach on the Friday, stay in their separate hotel rooms, play the match, travel back to Leicester Saturday evening, and on Sunday a few of them will be in the supermarket, thus negating all the previous good practices??

[Tigerbeat]

Guess the difference is that the Test Matches are over a 5 day period so the bubble needs to be maintained, part of the agreement with the Government for the test matches to go ahead. Covid testing is taking place at Rugby clubs and being closely monitorred.
In cricket, they have to stay in the hotels to keep the risk of infection very low.

[JP14]

These rules and regulations slightly confuse me, if everyone has been tested and people negative are cleared to play the game, what’s the need for social distancing on buses pre-game?

[Longshanks]

I don't envy clubs being held responsible for getting this message across and enforcing the rules with players. When you consider the blatant disregard for government and local authority restrictions amongst some elements of the public, you could be forgiven as a professional sportsperson for thinking why is life for me so different? Ridiculously crowded public beaches, illegal raves, mass protests, tower block parties - with authorities seemingly unable or unwilling to intervene - yet our sports teams have to demonstrate a level of compliance from a different world. It all seems to be about those who are easiest to govern being required to set an example. I don't think the amount Jofra Archer's fine has been made public but I would guess the cost of being made an example of was not trivial.

[Tiglon]

These rules and regulations slightly confuse me, if everyone has been tested and people negative are cleared to play the game, what’s the need for social distancing on buses pre-game?

The tests aren't 100%, it's easy to do the distancing so why not? It's just another thing the clubs/league can say "look at how safe we are". It's all about public perception.

I don't envy clubs being held responsible for getting this message across and enforcing the rules with players. When you consider the blatant disregard for government and local authority restrictions amongst some elements of the public, you could be forgiven as a professional sportsperson for thinking why is life for me so different? Ridiculously crowded public beaches, illegal raves, mass protests, tower block parties - with authorities seemingly unable or unwilling to intervene - yet our sports teams have to demonstrate a level of compliance from a different world. It all seems to be about those who are easiest to govern being required to set an example. I don't think the amount Jofra Archer's fine has been made public but I would guess the cost of being made an example of was not trivial.

It's different for them because they are in the public eye. Their behaviour reflects on their employers and their employers want to be seen to be acting when someone steps out of line - otherwise the next day the news is "Leicester Tigers condone Manu breaking Covid rules". On the other hand, if Mrs Jones next door breaks the rules, no one notices, no one cares and no one even knows who her employer is.

[Mark62]

I don't envy clubs being held responsible for getting this message across and enforcing the rules with players. When you consider the blatant disregard for government and local authority restrictions amongst some elements of the public, you could be forgiven as a professional sportsperson for thinking why is life for me so different? Ridiculously crowded public beaches, illegal raves, mass protests, tower block parties - with authorities seemingly unable or unwilling to intervene - yet our sports teams have to demonstrate a level of compliance from a different world. It all seems to be about those who are easiest to govern being required to set an example. I don't think the amount Jofra Archer's fine has been made public but I would guess the cost of being made an example of was not trivial.

I don’t know that he was fined Longshanks, but would obviously not get his match fee for the 2nd test.
Plus he had to spend 5 days on his own in the Old Trafford premier inn

[Longshanks]

I don't envy clubs being held responsible for getting this message across and enforcing the rules with players. When you consider the blatant disregard for government and local authority restrictions amongst some elements of the public, you could be forgiven as a professional sportsperson for thinking why is life for me so different? Ridiculously crowded public beaches, illegal raves, mass protests, tower block parties - with authorities seemingly unable or unwilling to intervene - yet our sports teams have to demonstrate a level of compliance from a different world. It all seems to be about those who are easiest to govern being required to set an example. I don't think the amount Jofra Archer's fine has been made public but I would guess the cost of being made an example of was not trivial.

I don’t know that he was fined Longshanks, but would obviously not get his match fee for the 2nd test.
Plus he had to spend 5 days on his own in the Old Trafford premier inn

https://www.ecb.co.uk/england/men/news/ ... fra-archer

[Mark62]

My apologies I hadn’t seen that.

[LE18]

I don't envy clubs being held responsible for getting this message across and enforcing the rules with players. When you consider the blatant disregard for government and local authority restrictions amongst some elements of the public, you could be forgiven as a professional sportsperson for thinking why is life for me so different? Ridiculously crowded public beaches, illegal raves, mass protests, tower block parties - with authorities seemingly unable or unwilling to intervene - yet our sports teams have to demonstrate a level of compliance from a different world. It all seems to be about those who are easiest to govern being required to set an example. I don't think the amount Jofra Archer's fine has been made public but I would guess the cost of being made an example of was not trivial.

I don’t know that he was fined Longshanks, but would obviously not get his match fee for the 2nd test.
Plus he had to spend 5 days on his own in the Old Trafford premier inn

He was fined 2 match fees equating to £28,000, he lost his last fee and must pay cash of £14,000 from what I read.

[Longshanks]

I don't envy clubs being held responsible for getting this message across and enforcing the rules with players. When you consider the blatant disregard for government and local authority restrictions amongst some elements of the public, you could be forgiven as a professional sportsperson for thinking why is life for me so different? Ridiculously crowded public beaches, illegal raves, mass protests, tower block parties - with authorities seemingly unable or unwilling to intervene - yet our sports teams have to demonstrate a level of compliance from a different world. It all seems to be about those who are easiest to govern being required to set an example. I don't think the amount Jofra Archer's fine has been made public but I would guess the cost of being made an example of was not trivial.

I don’t know that he was fined Longshanks, but would obviously not get his match fee for the 2nd test.
Plus he had to spend 5 days on his own in the Old Trafford premier inn

Match Fees reportedly around £15k per Test (2019 levels) plus fine etc, etc, compared with a government employee in SW1 who had to read a statement in public but no apology.

I wouldn't want the job of explaining that to a member of my staff.

[Tigerbeat]

[/quote]

I don’t know that he was fined Longshanks, but would obviously not get his match fee for the 2nd test.
Plus he had to spend 5 days on his own in the Old Trafford premier inn
[/quote]

It was reported that he had been fined and been given a written warning, the amount of the fine not disclosed.

[Tigerbeat]

I don't envy clubs being held responsible for getting this message across and enforcing the rules with players. When you consider the blatant disregard for government and local authority restrictions amongst some elements of the public, you could be forgiven as a professional sportsperson for thinking why is life for me so different? Ridiculously crowded public beaches, illegal raves, mass protests, tower block parties - with authorities seemingly unable or unwilling to intervene - yet our sports teams have to demonstrate a level of compliance from a different world. It all seems to be about those who are easiest to govern being required to set an example. I don't think the amount Jofra Archer's fine has been made public but I would guess the cost of being made an example of was not trivial.

The alternatives to not following the advice would be that the matches would not be allowed to go ahead. Whilst there are some parts of the community that disregard it because of what others have done , my attitude is that CovID is still out there and I should be responsible and be better than them, not follow them, each taking personal responsibility.

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

Let's hope its policed better than the Salary Cap was....
Part of those guidelines/regulations is probably mitigation if someone did test positive.

[Longshanks]

I don't envy clubs being held responsible for getting this message across and enforcing the rules with players. When you consider the blatant disregard for government and local authority restrictions amongst some elements of the public, you could be forgiven as a professional sportsperson for thinking why is life for me so different? Ridiculously crowded public beaches, illegal raves, mass protests, tower block parties - with authorities seemingly unable or unwilling to intervene - yet our sports teams have to demonstrate a level of compliance from a different world. It all seems to be about those who are easiest to govern being required to set an example. I don't think the amount Jofra Archer's fine has been made public but I would guess the cost of being made an example of was not trivial.

The alternatives to not following the advice would be that the matches would not be allowed to go ahead. Whilst there are some parts of the community that disregard it because of what others have done , my attitude is that CovID is still out there and I should be responsible and be better than them, not follow them, each taking personal responsibility.

I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately too many live on the basis of pushing the boundaries unless or until they are pushed back - hence why those who may be regarded as influencers, role models and opinion formers are (generally) required to behave to a higher standard - for others who may be led to follow. To some extent that's life.

Where it gets complicated (to get back to the subject of the thread) is how to determine and implement an appropriate penalty for an individual or organisation who contravenes a guideline so widely and blatantly ignored elsewhere? This seems one of those rare situations where the moral position is clearer than the legal one.