Worcester Warriors, like many other businesses, have applied to join the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which has been set up by the Government to support companies and protect jobs as a consequence of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
As Sixways has been in lockdown for almost two weeks and Premiership Rugby have postponed all matches until April 20 Warriors, along with other Premiership club and professional sports clubs in general, face financial challenges, not least cash-flow.
In order to help avoid significant wholesale redundancies across the country the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was introduced on March 20 to help and support businesses.
Warriors have applied to join the Scheme which will entitle us to receive a grant to cover a percentage of our employees’ salary for as long as we remain in the Scheme. The Scheme is initially expected to be in operation for three months, but it may very well be extended.
The Scheme requires us to designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers’. We must then pass this information to HMRC in order to receive a grant to assist with covering that employees’ wages.
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The majority of our staff – playing and non-playing – will become furloughed workers which means that they will still be employed by Warriors but no work can be done while they are confined to home by the social distancing regulations. This does not prevent players from training while they are at home.
A number of staff have been identified as essential workers and they will continue to work from home as employees and will not be furloughed workers.
We hope that these measures will help us to protect the jobs of our loyal and dedicated staff in these unprecedented times. We thank our staff for their understanding and patience in difficult circumstances.
When rugby does resume we want to ensure that normal service is restored as quickly as possible and that we can help to put smiles back on the faces of our supporters, commercial partners and all visitors to Sixways.
LIST | 6 internationals you didn’t know were still playing
Below, we have rounded up five internationals that we are certain you will be surprised to learn are still playing.
Did we miss anybody particularly noteworthy? Make sure you let us know in the comments below.
1. Kane Thompson
A real journeyman if there ever was one, Thompson has played for multiple teams around the world including stints in France, New Zealand, Japan, England and now America. The Samoa international had stints at the Highlanders and Chiefs in Super Rugby, as well as six different Mitre 10 Cup sides before rocking up in Major League Rugby to play for New Orleans Gold.
2. Dave Ward
The Premiership stalwart joined Ampthill's Championship squad for 2019-20 as Player/Coach. At international level he has represented the England under-18s, under-21s and Saxons.
3. Mike Tindall
England legend and World Cup winner Mike Tindall plays a selection of matches for Minchinhampton, the club close to his home. The centre played outside centre for Bath and Gloucester, and won 75 caps for England between 2000 and 2011. He was a member of the England squad which won the 2003 World Cup.
4. Alex Lutui
Lutui is an incredibly well-travelled player, having played in Super Rugby, the Premiership and PRO12 in his career. The hooker racked up 115 points in 181 appearances for Worcester Warriors between 2006-2013, so he certainly knows his way to the try line. Incredibly, the hooker still turns out for Ampthill aged 40.
5. Patrick Ah Van
The Super League legend, who starred for Bradford Bulls and Widnes Vikings between 2011 and 2018, made a late cross-code switch at the tailend his career, joining Sale FC in National League one. The winger, who played five times for Samoa, is still scoring regularly with Sale placed 11th before the season ended.
6. Shane Williams
The Wales legend made a return to Welsh rugby in 2017, coming out of retirement to play for his beloved Amman United. The former Wales and British Lions star stunned spectators as he took the field for his home town side in the National League 3 West B match against Burry Port. He then played for them in a final at the Millenium Stadium. He's since played a further handful of games for the club.
