Cancelled games

[Peej]

Banning celebrations, but allowing scrums and mauls? Way too sweat the big stuff, guys.

The only way to ensure safety is to put all the players and staff in bio-secure bubbles, a la cricket tours. But as those a) have faults of their own, and b) cannot possibly be sustained over a season, I don't see what the alternative is to suspending the season. Not like we haven't done it before.

[Raggs]

Banning celebrations, but allowing scrums and mauls? Way too sweat the big stuff, guys.

The only way to ensure safety is to put all the players and staff in bio-secure bubbles, a la cricket tours. But as those a) have faults of their own, and b) cannot possibly be sustained over a season, I don't see what the alternative is to suspending the season. Not like we haven't done it before.

It's a question of what is and isn't part of the game though. Remove scrums and we're no longer playing proper rugby. Remove celebrations and nothing "important" changes. It's all the little 1% things that may keep the game going.

[morepork]

Sorry boys, but this shouldn't even be up for discussion. Shut it down now. You have hospitals blowing out their arses now and that will be overwhelmed in about 2 weeks. At least one teams coach thinks this situation is engineered so the government can use vaccines to steal your DNA. I cannot understand how any interaction between teams is justified given there have been multiple positive cases in different teams. Pre match warm ups filmed to trace contact...FFS. Cease contact is the only option.

[fivepointer]

BREAKING: 16 Premiership players tested positive for #covid19 this week.

Three members of staff also positive across 8 of the 12 clubs.

Down from last week but only 4 clubs covid free.

[Adam_P]

At least one teams coach thinks this situation is engineered so the government can use vaccines to steal your DNA.

Who?

[Puja]

At least one teams coach thinks this situation is engineered so the government can use vaccines to steal your DNA.

Who?

Rob Baxter hasn't exactly espoused the belief himself, but answered a question about who he'd like to be locked down with by talking how much he enjoyed Harry Williams's conspiracy theories and how he was a free thinker.

Puja

[16th man]

Sorry boys, but this shouldn't even be up for discussion. Shut it down now. You have hospitals blowing out their arses now and that will be overwhelmed in about 2 weeks. At least one teams coach thinks this situation is engineered so the government can use vaccines to steal your DNA. I cannot understand how any interaction between teams is justified given there have been multiple positive cases in different teams. Pre match warm ups filmed to trace contact...FFS. Cease contact is the only option.

So much this.

If there were no cases and the bio bubbles were holding up then you could make an argument to carry on, but with cases popping up left, right and centre, pausing the season for a month before reviewing is the only sensible option.

[Mr Mwenda]

At least one teams coach thinks this situation is engineered so the government can use vaccines to steal your DNA.

Who?

Rob Baxter hasn't exactly espoused the belief himself, but answered a question about who he'd like to be locked down with by talking how much he enjoyed Harry Williams's conspiracy theories and how he was a free thinker.

Puja

I saw that video and thought he was taking the piss out if Williams. You think he was making a serious point? That scares me (Baxter not you, Puja).

[Puja]

Who?

Rob Baxter hasn't exactly espoused the belief himself, but answered a question about who he'd like to be locked down with by talking how much he enjoyed Harry Williams's conspiracy theories and how he was a free thinker.

Puja

I saw that video and thought he was taking the piss out if Williams. You think he was making a serious point? That scares me (Baxter not you, Puja).

I don't necessarily think he's a believer himself per se, but the fact that he presented Williams's beliefs as, "He's got really strong opinions and who knows," is bad enough, because the response to someone spouting off about those things should be to loudly refute them, not to say, "Everyone's entitled to their own opinion."

Given that he was also the coach that said that COVID testing should be stopped and his side managed to get an outbreak bad enough to call off a game while in a lower infection area of the country, he's lost the benefit of the doubt for me.

Puja

[Danno]

Rob Baxter hasn't exactly espoused the belief himself, but answered a question about who he'd like to be locked down with by talking how much he enjoyed Harry Williams's conspiracy theories and how he was a free thinker.

Puja

I saw that video and thought he was taking the piss out if Williams. You think he was making a serious point? That scares me (Baxter not you, Puja).

I don't necessarily think he's a believer himself per se, but the fact that he presented Williams's beliefs as, "He's got really strong opinions and who knows," is bad enough, because the response to someone spouting off about those things should be to loudly refute them, not to say, "Everyone's entitled to their own opinion."

Given that he was also the coach that said that COVID testing should be stopped and his side managed to get an outbreak bad enough to call off a game while in a lower infection area of the country, he's lost the benefit of the doubt for me.

Puja

Just quoting for the lack of a thumbs up

[Mr Mwenda]

Fair points.

[Dan. Dan. Dan.]

If we're not able to create a bubble for all the clubs in the way they did for the NBA playoffs, and we're not, then I think it should absolutely be suspended. Far too many people are taking risks with other peoples health at the moment, and it's only going to take one backroom member of staff falling gravely ill or god forbid dying, for it all to look foolish at best and grossly negligent at worst.
I absolutely think the time could be spent best really trying to sort out the best ways to structure the pro game, both within national unions and the international game as a whole. Not going to happen though is it...

[Mellsblue]

Looks like the French govt may take the choice out of the EPCR’s hands.

[fivepointer]

They have. European games off next 2 weeks. Surely the right decision.

[Mellsblue]

You don’t need to be Mystic Meg to know it’ll be longer than two weeks.
I wonder if U.K./GB clubs will try and cobble something together.

[Puja]

You don’t need to be Mystic Meg to know it’ll be longer than two weeks.
I wonder if U.K./GB clubs will try and cobble something together.

You'd've thought it'd make the most sense to just shift the Premiership fixtures forward. Not like they're going ro be inconveniencing any ticket holders and it'd give them a chance to either have a break during the 6N or finish the season a little earlier.

Puja

[ExAviator]

And another reason for cancelling matches copied from from Sarries Fan Forum:

"Today’s women’s game against Sale has been postponed because of a major incident declared in London (preventing the use of an ambulance at Copthall)"

[Peej]

You don’t need to be Mystic Meg to know it’ll be longer than two weeks.
I wonder if U.K./GB clubs will try and cobble something together.

You'd've thought it'd make the most sense to just shift the Premiership fixtures forward. Not like they're going ro be inconveniencing any ticket holders and it'd give them a chance to either have a break during the 6N or finish the season a little earlier.

Puja

Or using the empty weeks to try and play fixtures that are otherwise postponed due to positive cases within teams?

[jimKRFC]

Rumour on the Bris unoffical site that the Connacht game (Next Sunday) is off and we'll play Bath instead. The poster has a decent record of inside news so seems possible.

[Puja]

Rumour on the Bris unoffical site that the Connacht game (Next Sunday) is off and we'll play Bath instead. The poster has a decent record of inside news so seems possible.

Would that just be a friendly or is that your next Prem game?

Puja

[jimKRFC]

Would that just be a friendly or is that your next Prem game?

Bath were the next prem game, so bringing them forward I guess. Makes sense to keep the competition running and leaving a two gap makes it more likely someone will slip and break the bubbles.

[Digby]

The European games will, it's hoped, simply be moved to later in the season. They're not at this point taking a view the Euro Cups should be cancelled. The stakeholders in the T14, the Premiership and whatever the Celtic League is now called probably all need to play ball with that idea, and whilst they can shift games around in the here and now accept if Covid then delayed their domestic or non-European scheduling they'd be removing wriggle room to complete domestic tournaments

[fivepointer]

European games confirmed off.

No domestic games either for next 2 weeks.

[Doorzetbornandbred]

European games confirmed off.

No domestic games either for next 2 weeks.

As much as I dont know what to do all weekend with no rugby thats a sensible call with how things are at the moment.

[Digby]

If they're not going to backfill with league fixtures they might as well cancel the Euro events