Safety concerns mean rugby won’t rush back

PREMIERSHIP clubs will not be able to return to training for another two weeks, meaning the season is unlikely to resume before August.

Following a Professional Game Board meeting yesterday, chair Chris Booy said: ‘The group agreed that although a huge amount of work is being undertaken to enable a safe return to training for Premiership clubs, more time was needed to ensure players, staff and officials can return to a safe training environment, and that is not expected to be in place for a minimum of two weeks.

‘Safety and welfare remains of paramount importance to all of us in the rugby community and we look forward to the season resuming when

It will be unusual without crowds but the players just want to be back on the field

it is safe to do so.’ Earlier, Leicester Tigers head coach Geordan Murphy (pictured) warned Premiership chiefs not to rush a return. ‘There has to be a slow, graded return,’ he said.

‘That would be a minimum of eight weeks, which is what we are planning.

‘It will be decided, though, by the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Players Association, so I don’t know where we will end up.

‘The reality is we’ll be back as soon as we can in front of crowds and we expect our early games will be played behind closed doors.

‘It will be unusual to play matches without crowds, but the players will just want to be back on the field and getting rugby back under their belts.’

Tigers stalwart Murphy, who will become director of rugby when Steve Borthwick takes over as head coach later this summer, told the BBC: ‘Our contracts are starting on July 1 and that’s what we are working towards, fulfilling those contracts.’