Further CB Guidance for Clubs – Delay to start of the season.
RFU League games (promotion / relegation) – as per RFU guidance and starts w/c 21st September – no change.
CANDY and Merit – leaving as previous guidance – starts on the 21st September.
Age Grade Girls U16 and U18s Leagues – Northumberland teams start on the 21st September.
Colts Rugby (Surridge League) – Northumberland teams start on 21st September.
Colts Border Leagues – as previously advised. Away matches in SRU permitted, no home games until after 21st September. Cross Border forms to be completed as normal.
Age Grade Fixtures – Clubs – All games are friendlies so can go ahead as long as they are fully risk assessed and documented and a copy of the risk assessment is sent in to competitions@northumberlandrfu.co.uk
All – Age Grade and Adult Rugby – applicable all games – if a friendly is being played it needs to be fully risk assessed and documented and sent in to competitions@northumberlandrfu.co.uk
AGPs – no competitive matches can be played on an AGP. Friendlies can take place fully risk assessed and documented and sent in to competitions@northumberlandrfu.co.uk
Training – can take place – but must be fully risk assessed and documented and filed within the club.
Player welfare is paramount in all decisions. Just as an example two nasty concussions have been documented this week with players now on GRAS. Ask the question “do we really need to play this game”?
Note – verbal and visual risk assessments are not acceptable – risk assessments have to be on hard copy. It is not the responsibility of the referee to decide if a pitch is playable. Please involve coaches from the opposition and from your team as well as a club official from the host club.
Link to the risk assessment – https://northumberlandrugbyunion.com/season-delay-guidance-risk-assessment-template/
Pitch Guidance – https://northumberlandrugbyunion.com/season-delay-guidance-pitch-guidance/
We hope this clears up any confusion around interpretation. We understand your disappointment with the delays but appreciate your support in complying with above.
Thank you
Pete O’Brien, Chair
Graham Crozier, Hon Secretary
