RUGBY UNION TO BAN TRY CELEBRATIONS
And no more face-to-face try celebrations as rugby tackles Covid
ICE BATHS and celebrating tries are now banned in Premiership Rugby as the league attempts to curb the spread of Covid after being forced to cancel another game.
Saturday’s East Midlands derby between Northampton and leicester is the fifth match of the season to be called off following positive cases at Saints. It means three rounds in a row have now been hit by Covid.
Northampton’s training base will be closed until their next round of tests on Monday. They will take two points and the Tigers four from the axed match under league rules.
With more transmittable strains of Covid in circulation and after a worrying trend of cancellations, the league’s organisers have decided to introduce harsher strictures around training and match days designed to minimise unnecessary contact.
Sportsmail has learned that includes no ‘ post-try face-toface celebrations’, ‘non-playing players’ no longer being able to attend games to boost home support and players having to take food away from the ground afterwards.
Social distancing and facecovering measures will be tightened, too, and all pre-match warm-ups will now be filmed to help identify close contacts in the event of an outbreak.
at training, ice-filled recovery baths are no longer allowed, changing rooms should only be used to shower, all meetings must take place outside or virtually and food must not be eaten indoors.
While Premiership players are tested for Covid at least once a week, these measures are designed to help reduce transmission. at present, the league expects the five other matches this weekend to go ahead.
Chris Boyd, in charge of Northampton who have had two consecutive matches called off after their london Irish game fell last week, said of the derby cancellation: ‘ We have been absolutely rigorous in how we have followed the protocols laid out for us, and despite returning a number of positive tests this week, we were confident we have more than enough of our squad still healthy and available to play the game if required.
‘However, we are following the advice we have been given, which was not to play the game and to close our training facility until next week.’
Steve Borthwick at leicester added: ‘ We understand the situation, having been through it, and will offer whatever support we can to our friends down the road.’
Exeter’s Rob Baxter revealed the Chiefs have had positives but will test players again in the coming days to make sure they can play Bristol, who are all clear, on Saturday.
‘We feel a responsibility to get on top of things very quickly and not risk players going on to the field with anything or risking transmitting anything to Bristol,’ said Baxter.
Exeter lost 34-5 to Wasps last week and their European Cup defence was dented by a Covid cancellation against Toulouse. Their boss senses a reaction.
‘Our focus this week has been to show that last week’s result was a blip and nothing bigger than that,’ he said. ‘ It’s not about feeling sorry for yourself. Good sporting teams take the knocks, get up and get on with things.’
Up at Newcastle, director of rugby Dean Richards revealed the Falcons have been using ‘rapid-flow’ tests to supplement the usual rounds co-ordinated by Randox and thinks others should follow suit.
‘I’m a big believer in rapid-flow tests,’ said Richards. ‘I don’t see why they can’t be used more going forward depending on the accuracy of them.
‘They are far cheaper than the system we’re using at the moment, but we still need the baseline Randox figure.’
• JACK NOWELL is set to miss the start of the Six Nations after toe surgery at the end of last season. Baxter said: ‘It was a serious injury which required an operation, I think we are looking at five to eight weeks with Jack but time goes by incredibly quickly.’