DON’T HUG AFTER TRIES
RUGBY CRACKS DOWN IN BID TO CURB COVID:
TRY celebrations were last night banned by Premiership Rugby chiefs in a dramatic move to curb the spread of coronavirus.
A raft of stricter measures were brought in after Saturday’s derby between Northampton and Leicester became the fifth English top- flight match of the season to be cancelled, due to an outbreak at Saints.
Tightened protocols at training grounds are to include a ban on ice baths, a requirement that face masks are worn at all times in buildings and that food is available only on a takeaway basis.
Face- to- face try celebrations, hugs and handshakes are outlawed from matches and nonplaying squad members are not permitted to attend unless nominated as a travelling reserve.
Rugby union, which shut between March and August, is battling to keep afloat through this second wave.
As the virus tightens its grip, double- winning Exeter boss Rob Baxter admitted any achievement beyond simply getting through the season would be a bonus.
Baxter, whose Chiefs team forfeited a Champions Cup match last month after an outbreak in their ranks, believes regular testing in English rugby’s top flight makes it relatively safe.
But he said: “If we get through this season OK and unscathed – by which I mean with no health issues among the people we know and in the club – we’ve done a pretty good job. Anything you can get out of it positively on the field is more than a bonus really.”
Montpellier owner Mohed Altrad has called for the Champions Cup, which has seen four cancellations, including Exeter’s clash at Toulouse, to be ditched.
In the Challenge Cup, which has seen two games scrubbed, Bayonne are refusing to fulfil their remaining fixtures.
The Lions tour to South Africa is in doubt, although there is talk of switching it to the UK and Ireland if, as increasingly seems inevitable, Covid prevents fans from travelling.
“Do I understand why people have concerns and worries?
100 per cent,” said
Baxter.
“We’re in such a climate of change. It’s just about focusing on yourself and how you try to get yourselves through.”
The Premiership’s latest Covid test results are due today. Exeter organised additional testing after recording some positives.