Steel: Rugby ‘won’treturn until2021’
PAUL THOMSON
East Kilbride Rugby Club boss Allan Steel admits he does not envisage a return to action until 2021.
The Torrance House outfit have been sidelined since the whole of Scottish Rugby shut down in March due to the Covid-19 crisis.
All leagues were deemed null and void just weeks later and the season cancelled, denying EK of both a league title shot and their hopes of a second cup trophy.
The West Regional Shield winners could return to light training soon, but Steel reckons matches won’t restart until the new year.
He said:“Everyone is still in the dark when it comes to what’s happening with Scottish Rugby.
“With the emails we’ve been getting, the SRU are trying to get things going again and then that changes the next day.
“We will just need to wait and see. We get an update every two weeks so hopefully this week it will become a bit clearer.
“I think they might let us train again in the next couple of weeks, but it will just be in ones and twos.
“As for the playing side, contact is going to be a mile off.
“There’s all sorts of issues with scrums and things like that.
“Personally, I can’t see us playing rugby this year.
“Even once we get up to full training, it’s seven weeks after that before we can start games, so it’s really unclear.”
Their Torrance House venue is also home to East Kilbride Sports Club, with cricket, tennis and golf also operating out of the same building.
So when it comes to the need for social distancing, that will present its own problems.
Tennis and golf have been allowed to return under phase one of the Scottish Government’s easing of lockdown measures, but cricket is another sport still to be given the green light.
Steel added:“I’m not sure when the sports club itself is going to be able to open when you think about changing rooms and showers.
“It’s really strange times.”
Steel’s players are still keeping themselves busy to keep their bodies ticking over until such times as they can all return to the field.
“I’m quite impressed with all the guys and their fitness,”said Steel.
“They’ve still be working hard on that.
“The guys know we’ve got a team capable of winning things, so we are trying to stay fit so that when we do get back, we are fully ready for that.”