England ban ice baths and try celebrations in bid to halt Covid spread

ICE BATHS and celebrating tries are now banned in the Gallagher Premiership as England’s top flight attempts to curb the spread of Covid. Saturday’s 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, league organisers have introduced harsher strictures around training and match days designed to minimise unnecessary contact. Sportsmail understands that includes no ‘post-try face-to-face 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 face-covering measures will be tightened, too, and all pre-match warm-ups 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: ‘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.’