Premiership clubs cleared to return to contact training as ‘Rugby Restart’ enters phase two
Small groups of players ‘will be able to interact much closer to one another’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.English Premiership clubs will take another step towards a restart after the players were permitted to resume close contact training next week, the Professional Game Board (PGB) said on Friday.
The Premiership was suspended in March in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has killed 43,995 people in Britain.
The government gave permission for elite sport to return behind closed doors from 1 June and the Premiership, which has nine rounds remaining, is hoping to resume on the weekend of 14-16 August.
In Stage One of the ‘Rugby Restart’ plans, players were cleared to resume individual training with strict social distancing measures last month.
The PGB said Stage Two will now see a resumption of close contact training where small groups of players “will be able to interact much closer to one another”.
“I’m delighted to confirm that Rugby Restart is on track,” PGB chairman Chris Booy said in a statement.
“The teams at Premiership Rugby, Rugby Football Union, Rugby Players Association and at our clubs have undertaken a huge amount of work to get us to Stage Two and I commend them for their dedication and tireless commitment to resuming the League campaign when it is safe to do so.”
As part of the Stage Two guidance, the players and staff are required to follow a formal “opt-in” process. They must also undergo regular testing for Covid-19.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments