A report from The Telegraph today has revealed that rugby could look very different when it returns at a grassroots level.
According to well-respected rugby scribe Gavin Mairs, the RFU plan is planning to hold back on introducing full contact rugby.
The return of ‘rugby activity’ would see games take place without, mauls, scrums or even tackles until at least next year
Rugby union played with social distancing on the pitch?
— #RugbyBath (@RugbyBath) May 6, 2020
“RFU working on plans for no scrums or tackles and shorter matches in post-lockdown grass-roots plan” via @TelegraphSporthttps://t.co/wR7P6Uopnn
“By rugby activity we are definitely not talking about 15-a-side, full-on contact rugby,” revealed Steve Grainger.
“There are a whole range of activities that you could create without having 16 people in a scrum.
“That is probably the most invasive and intensive form of contact that we are going to have. Or a pile of people in a ruck.
“Those are the things I think that are quite hard to see your way past with the sort of virus that we have had. They seem like they will be the last things to come back.
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“We are looking at staging posts all the way along that – from a situation where a group of people can start to handle a ball together through to a situation where a group of people can start to challenge another group of people with a ball in their hands.
“I think we will get to a situation with a non-contact or limited contact variant of the game such as RugbyX. The return of contact activity will then engineer when the competitive programme can start.”.
Rugby Partners | Who are stars quarantining with?
The partners of rugby players in the UK are having to spend a lot more time with their other halfs due to the current lockdown.
Here we get to know the people behind the England, Scotland and Wales stars.
1. ANNABEL FIELD (HUW JONES)
Scotland centre Huw Jones is unafraid to show his love for girlfriend Annabel Field, describing the diminutive beauty as ‘his everything’ in an Instagram post. The couple are thought to have met in Glasgow but spend their time criss-crossing the globe – racking up visits to Monaco, Barcelona and the Bahamas in 2019 alone.
