3rd January 2021 v Bath

[Scott1]

Not sure tier 4 prevents working? (Apart from hospitality an non-essential shopping) so games should be able to go ahead?

No you can still work. But I have a feeling that elite sport will be wrapped up again for a while soon sadly.

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

Treating Elite Sport as exempt is really pushing it for me, I know the argument is that sport provides a distraction to lockdown, but I struggle to see the difference between now & when sport was stopped in March.
I am not sure its particularly good for the players either.
It will be interesting to see who blinks first Government or the Sports Bodies, it took football to take the lead in March, we wont mention the horse racing....

[JP14]

The London Irish game is off, but as of now the other 4 fixtures (including ours) are going ahead.

[TigerFeetSteve]

Not just Worcester Quins off, Irish vs Saints off too

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/55489173

[JP14]

Treating Elite Sport as exempt is really pushing it for me, I know the argument is that sport provides a distraction to lockdown, but I struggle to see the difference between now & when sport was stopped in March.
I am not sure its particularly good for the players either.
It will be interesting to see who blinks first Government or the Sports Bodies, it took football to take the lead in March, we wont mention the horse racing....

When Elite Sport can maintain secure bubbles (on the most part) whilst also giving people a distraction to other woes of the current times, I see no reason why it shouldn’t be exempt from current restrictions.

[Tiglon]

Treating Elite Sport as exempt is really pushing it for me, I know the argument is that sport provides a distraction to lockdown, but I struggle to see the difference between now & when sport was stopped in March.
I am not sure its particularly good for the players either.
It will be interesting to see who blinks first Government or the Sports Bodies, it took football to take the lead in March, we wont mention the horse racing....

When Elite Sport can maintain secure bubbles (on the most part) whilst also giving people a distraction to other woes of the current times, I see no reason why it shouldn’t be exempt from current restrictions.

I think you mean if elite sport could maintain secure bubbles. From the number of games being called off, it's clear that it can't.

The difference between now and March is that back then covid was an unknown quantity. It was a case of shut down everything while we work out what the hell is going on and come up with some procedures to mitigate the risk - those procedures are now in place. Personally, I think that allowing elite sport to continue is very low risk in terms of death or serious illness and I'm happy for it to continue as long as those involved are happy to continue. However, with infections rising there becomes a point when there aren't enough games going ahead for it to be worthwhile.

[Yorkietiger]

So, Worcester v Quinn's off and Irish v Saints off, that means 4 points to both Worcester and Saints, both key rivals towards the bottom end of the table. And whilst we were awarded 2 points for the game at Newcastle that was cancelled which we might have struggled to get had the game been played. It seems a bit perverse that someone is going to get relegated and it is not necessarily going to be about who played best, more likely whose opponents cancelled games against them due to Covid, so they were awarded a win.

That cannot be right can it?

[Scott1]

So, Worcester v Quinn's off and Irish v Saints off, that means 4 points to both Worcester and Saints, both key rivals towards the bottom end of the table. And whilst we were awarded 2 points for the game at Newcastle that was cancelled which we might have struggled to get had the game been played. It seems a bit perverse that someone is going to get relegated and it is not necessarily going to be about who played best, more likely whose opponents cancelled games against them due to Covid, so they were awarded a win.

That cannot be right can it?

There won’t be a relegation mate. Imagine the legal challenge if a team went down by 2 points for example and they had games chalked off through COVID? They will either void the season and repeat it or there will be ringfencing

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

The only true secure bubble was the England Cricket one, once they were in, not positive tests for either side & Joffra Archer got canned for his error.
All the Football & Rugby seems to be is Testing.

This season is just a joke now, you could gather points by not training & keeping everyone away from one another & name a team every Friday & hope the opposition call off with Covid.

[Tigerbeat]

On Twitter that four remaining games are able to go ahead, including Tigers v Bath

https://mobile.twitter.com/premrugby/st ... 7991149572

[Tigerbeat]

Wayne Barnes, Premiership Rugby’s most experienced referee, will be in charge of the fixture between Leicester Tigers and Bath Rugby at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Sunday.

With more than 230 games as a referee in the top flight to his credit, Barnes will be assisted by Simon Harding and Wayne Falla at the Gallagher Premiership Round 5 fixture at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

Television match official is Clare Hodnett and the citing officer is Will James.

[Bunchy]

So, Worcester v Quinn's off and Irish v Saints off, that means 4 points to both Worcester and Saints, both key rivals towards the bottom end of the table. And whilst we were awarded 2 points for the game at Newcastle that was cancelled which we might have struggled to get had the game been played. It seems a bit perverse that someone is going to get relegated and it is not necessarily going to be about who played best, more likely whose opponents cancelled games against them due to Covid, so they were awarded a win.

That cannot be right can it?

There won’t be a relegation mate. Imagine the legal challenge if a team went down by 2 points for example and they had games chalked off through COVID? They will either void the season and repeat it or there will be ringfencing

Guys - a "ring-fenced" 13 team premiership will be confirmed in the next 2/4 weeks for the start of next season.

[mol2]

I guess that games with long seasons can't remain in a bubble entirely.

It was different in the summer for the abbreviated test series where the whole circus could be contained in a very secure bubble with very limited contact with each other and the outside world for a few weeks.

The rugby season is too long to lock teams away and being a contact sport with a lot of close physical contact as an essential part of the game means that positive test are almost enevitable for most teams so we have to accept the cancellations as the new norm. Matches won't be sure to go ahead until the day itself probably for the rest of the season. Certainly until late spring.

[CrumblingTerrace]

If, or as Bunchy suggests, when ringfencing is introduced, the season is going to really quickly become dull for us.

[trendylfj]

Hope to see a ring-fenced 14 teams if it has to happen - be interesting to see if the championship completes its season and how many games they manage