RFU Cancels all League's below Championship

[TigerFeetSteve]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/54757255

RFU has cancelled all league's below the Championship for the entire season.

Says even if they play this season there won't be enough of a season to have a meaningful league with promotion or relegation.


Championship is (at the moment) still on course to start the Championship in January. No idea if the Championship is going to have any relegation, will be intresting to watch as if they don't it's a precedent in the case the Championship season is called off meaning a certain club in London may have an additional season in the lower tier...

[Jacko27]

Sad but inevitable. To be honest I'm amazed that we have managed to play so much elite rugby.

[BFG]

Poor planning that will ultimately lose generations of players and support in my opinion.
There is no reason why clubs should not be allowed to play local organised mini leagues with adapted rules i.e no scrums and reduced numbers such as 10's.

[Jacko27]

I used to be involved in junior and youth rugby as player and then as organiser/referee etc and like you have worries about the long term damage to our sport if we, in effect, lose a season ( or potentially more). But the nature of rugby with scrummaging, tackling etc and, to be blunt, the inevitable intermingling of breath, sweat and saliva makes it totally incompatible with the human biology of how coronavirus is transmitted. I could see that it might be possible to play a version of touch rugby with younger boys and girls but even then you have to be sure parents and spectators will observe social distancing. Until we have a viable vaccine or the virus somehow burns itself out, I can't see how proper weekend rugby can resume.

Re-reading what I've just written, when I say "incompatible" I probably mean compatible. The coronavirus will love rugby as a way of reproducing itself.

[h's dad]

I think it's a bit early to call this with talk of vaccines rolling out early in the new year (fingers crossed). A full season may not be practicable but surely if a season can get started not too late in 2021 the powers that be could easily subdivide each division into two and play two full 'mini leagues' with play-offs for relegation/promotion as necessary?

[dunc]

Poor planning that will ultimately lose generations of players and support in my opinion.
There is no reason why clubs should not be allowed to play local organised mini leagues with adapted rules i.e no scrums and reduced numbers such as 10's.

I don’t think this announcement prevents that and I suspect that if the government allows games to resume then this is will happen. It’s just an acknowledgement that there is not time to fulfil the full amateur league season.

[strawclearer]

Issued by the RFU on behalf of the Championship Clubs. Thursday 5th November 2020.

THE ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION STATEMENT
Further to the recent announcement regarding the cancellation of the 2020/21 competitive rugby season for levels 3 and below of the English leagues, and the commencement of Premiership rugby from the weekend of the 21st November, there is much speculation about the intentions of the Championship league.

The Championship is considered a professional league and is a part of the Elite game in England together with the Premiership and the women’s P15 leagues. As such, it is allowed to function during the government’s “lockdown” period of November.

However, with club’s having little or no earning power for the past 8 months, their individual financial status does not allow them to meet the costs of currently required Covid testing or face the prospect of no income going forward due to an absence of match day crowds.

The report, in The Times (Thursday, 5th November 2020), of potential government support funding, whilst awaiting further detail, is very welcome. However, time is passing and urgent decision making is paramount.

Within the above scenario of support, it remains the desire and intention of the Championship to commence its 2020/21 league season in January 2021, subsequent to a required period of pre-season training and game preparation time.

Much discussion and preparation is being undertaken within the league, in conjunction with the RFU, to play a meaningful league programme but the detail of those discussions must, of necessity, remain confidential and any public debate is, for the present, mere speculation.

The Championship clubs will continue to work closely with the RFU to explore a financially viable route forward for all clubs, and will make decisions and announcements accordingly.

[kk20gb30]

Observing how things are developing outside of the sporting world there was/is an ever increasing inevitability with regard to this decision.All told, frightening how things have developed in what is now less than 12 months....

[Scott1]

Observing how things are developing outside of the sporting world there was/is an ever increasing inevitability with regard to this decision.All told, frightening how things have developed in what is now less than 12 months....

This is only the start too I’m afraid!

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

Personally I struggle to see pro rugby outside the top league(s) worldwide, the future might be a return to proper 2nd team rugby.

I hate the idea of ring fencing, but it's going to happen, but I wonder if even that will support 12 let alone 14 teams without a dramatic change in financing & wages.

[jgriffin]

Personally I struggle to see pro rugby outside the top league(s) worldwide, the future might be a return to proper 2nd team rugby.

I hate the idea of ring fencing, but it's going to happen, but I wonder if even that will support 12 let alone 14 teams without a dramatic change in financing & wages.

Absolutely agree. I think rugby will reset as a smaller sport, as should any contact sport until we understand the phenomenon of 'long COVID'. A lot of sportspeople have been seriously affected despite being barely affected initially. (my bout has left me with hearing loss - now being recognised as a common residue caused by aural nerve damage - and recurrent bouts of original symptoms - throat, migraines, body pain, breathlessness attacks). The failure to spend the £billions on NHS long term tracking (not some private chums firm) may end up costing future lives and economic harm, and make parents leery of letting their offspring play.