We do need to be careful about reading too much into any of these early signals. We know this is a temporary phase, and we do not know what comes next. It is too easy to interpret signs to fit the future you want to see. An increase in birdsong during lock-down does not mean we will all become nature lovers. A surfeit of new on-liners does not spell the end of sporting events. Nothing is settled.

Because nothing is settled, however, everything is possible. We do not know the future, but we can explore what questions need asking, and what we need to do to get the answers we want.

• Will concerns over health see a drop in sports events, but a surge in people staying at home watching on TV? Yes / No / Is there a solution?

• Will concerns over contact sports like rugby lead to a new way forward for non-contact sports? Yes / No / Positive / Negative

• The health of our club vs the wealth of our club. How far do we go to make sure it survives? Discuss.

• Sport makes an important contribution to the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of players. Non-contact sports like touch and tag rugby has always been associated with socialising especially due to the nature of the male / female participation, is there an extra impact here on mental health? Yes / NO / Discuss

• There are various standards for the return to sport especially in the elite athlete category where there is specific guidance, who decides “Elite Sport Organisations & Individuals”?

• The fact non-contact sports like Tag and Touch rugby don’t have big audiences with only casual exposure (“much, much lower risk”. – Australia’s chief medical officer), could these sports have more relaxed rules?

• Does the COVID-19 emergency mean there will be a stunted growth in competitive team sports, especially rugby. Yes / No / Discuss

• Clubs were already in decline before Covid-19. Is it time to amalgamate, could rugby clubs accept other sports to co-exist? Yes / No / Discuss

• While local pubs and restaurants may look to occupy more outside space to serve the same numbers of people while observing social distancing, how will this impact public space in parks with locals playing various sports?

• If capacity is reduced in sports venues etc – does that mean that it becomes quicker to fill, and thus a sense of overcrowding can be created with less people?

• If sports destinations and grounds impose far tighter controls on numbers, for example through limiting the number of tickets available and making advance booking mandatory how will this be managed to ensure locals are not priced out of their own facilities?

• Might some sporting fans prefer the lack of close contact with multiple strangers, where guests could be coming from all over the world, and influence attendance?

• Should we be considering redesigning sports venues NOW with architects for the future?

• Will destinations that have avoided the worst of COVID-19 seek to market themselves as ‘safe’, even if attracting tourists increases the risk of no longer being ‘safe’? How will local people perceive the sports arena and visitors in such a situation?

(If you would like to add to this list of questionnaires or any comments, please feel free to email trugbyeurope@gmail.com)

I do not see that it is possible to know the answers to questions like these yet, during this lock-down phase. What is possible is to decide as a host community which answers you would like to see and explore what you might do to try to achieve them.

IRFU & RFU are continuing to monitor all information provided from the Government and governing bodies and decisions related to future fixtures will be updated depending upon any developments.  They are also closely monitoring the National Governing Bodies for our sports and their own roadmaps back to playing recreational sport, and they will review all safety measures that we may need to implement when we reconvene.

“Sport makes an important contribution to the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of players especially those in the non contact arena who depend on the social aspect and well as the team spirit” – John Gavin

Sport is crucial for physical and mental wellbeing and hence we will need to get leagues running again as soon as it is recommended. We are disappointed that the physical and mental wellbeing of players has not been considered in the  recent easing of lock-down measures(July 2020)

(Also read our guidelines which may be helpful)

Don’t miss this WEBINAR Wed July 8th 2020 Sign up here!

NCR SELF HEALTH DECLARATION FORM [CVSDF002]

Non-Contact Rugby Policy COVID

Risk-Assessment – NCRSports (COVID-19) COVID-19_v1.4

Return to Non-Contact Rugby – ROADMAP INFO-GRAPHIC (update 12/06/20)

Covid Operation Info-graphic WHO