Premiership Suspended

[Mikey Brown]

I completely forgot that the 6N didn't finish.

Just skimming through this whole thread for the first time and this really made me laugh. Rugby has become like a weird distant memory for me. Watching highlights of the supertouch again has been great, but also reminded me what a weird thing it is that we're all so interested in watching these blokes bash in to each other in a field.

[twitchy]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union ... -calendar/

Japan and Fiji are expected to be confirmed as the two guest nations to join the Six Nations sides in an inaugural eight-team tournament in November and December.

Negotiations between unions and clubs are continuing this week about the completion of the 2020 fixture schedule and proposals to restructure the global calendar.

The World Rugby council meeting which had been scheduled for Tuesday to vote on allowing international rugby to be played in October as well as November, has been postponed until mid-July to allow for talks to continue.

Significant progress, however, has been made on the international fixture list for this autumn and sources indicated last night that it was now “the most likely option” that the new-look tournament would replace the scheduled matches against southern hemisphere opposition because of the Covid-19 travel restrictions, and the delay to the start of the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship.

England had been due to face New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga and Australia at Twickenham in November but those fixtures are set to be replaced by a tournament involving two pools of four, with matches played on Nov 14, 21 and 28.

The winners of each pool would then meet in a final on Dec 5, with the other nations playing off against each other to decide final placings.

The more contentious issue surrounds the completion of this season’s Six Nations matches and how that impacts on Premiership Rugby’s aim of completing their unfinished campaign.
Six Nations 2020 latest standings

With the Champions Cup final scheduled for Oct 17, the English clubs have ear-marked the following weekend for their final.

However, with England’s outstanding Six Nations match against Italy pencilled in for Oct 31, that could mean that no members of Eddie Jones’s squad would be available for the Premiership final.

With England able to win the Six Nations with a bonus-point victory over Italy, Jones is certain to want at least a week’s preparations with his players.

The talks about the global calendar are even more complex, with the clubs in England and France raising objections to the proposal by the World Rugby working group representing the Six Nations and southern hemisphere nations to move the July window for Test matches to October to create a new international series.

World Rugby is prepared to bring in independent financial consultants to convince the English and French clubs of the business case of moving the window after the French clubs produced analysis claimed they would lose over £100 million if club rugby had to switch to a December to July or February to September season.

World Rugby is being urged to stage a forum in September with all parties represented in the negotiations to attempt to thrash out a deal.

One source said: “Let’s get an independent third party to look at the assumptions, tear them apart if necessary, but let’s get to the facts of this.

“Let’s give ourselves a timeline, by the end of September, to thrash this out. If we don’t, the rugby public should hold us to account for missing the opportunity and not really going for it.”

[Mellsblue]

Premiership clubs can move to stage 2 of the return to training protocols on Monday. Let’s hope the hangovers from the reopening of pubs ain’t too bad.

[Digby]

Even Leicester?

Also what does stage 2 denote?

[Stom]

Didn't know exactly where to put this, but I thought this was good from Quins:

https://www.quins.co.uk/news/reimbursem ... r-members/

[Digby]

Stage 2 training notes:

'Stage Two training exercises will be appropriately modified so that the time spent by two or more individuals within a 2-metre distance of one another, and level of face to face contact, is kept to a reasonable minimum, consistent with effective training'

Which possibly means no scrum training, and yet it is somewhat important given other plans

[morepork]

This is a fantastic opportunity for English players to learn how to pass accurately off both hands while maintaining a healthy distance from one another.

[fivepointer]

Premiership clubs will be required to play seven games in as few as 28 days when the league resumes in August.

The fixtures will be confirmed at 16:00 BST, with the first round of the restart taking place on 14-16 August.

But with nine rounds of the regular season left, a congested schedule is inevitable, with the European Cups also set to be completed.

Up to three Premiership rounds will take place in midweek, a rarity for top-flight rugby union.

The schedule will also see a large proportion of matches being shown on BT Sport, who have been without live rugby union action since the league was postponed in March.

The Premiership final is set for 24 October, a week before England's proposed rearranged Six Nations match with Italy, while the finals of the Champions and Challenge Cups are planned for the previous weekend - 16 and 17 October.

The Premiership season was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, it is currently uncertain where London Irish will play their remaining four home games.

The club's tenancy at the Madejski Stadium has expired, and their new home in Brentford is still to be completed.

"We're currently exploring our options and will be in a position to make an announcement on this soon," said a club spokesperson.

[Scrumhead]

Personally I can’t wait. I’m really hoping it goes ahead as planned. It’ll be very interesting to see ‘summer rugby’ In the Premiership and with players being less fit and less well drilled, I think we’ll see high scoring games.

[16th man]

with players being less fit and less well drilled, I think we’ll see high injury count games.

FTFY

[Scrumhead]

Well yes, that’s very possible/likely too, but I was choosing to think more optimistically.

[Digby]

Stage 2 training notes:

'Stage Two training exercises will be appropriately modified so that the time spent by two or more individuals within a 2-metre distance of one another, and level of face to face contact, is kept to a reasonable minimum, consistent with effective training'

Which possibly means no scrum training, and yet it is somewhat important given other plans

If we're back to playing rugby in 5 weeks than the idea of keeping a 2 metre distance to a reasonable minimum is being ignored, unless reasonable minimum entails the notion that practising scrums is a reasonable endeavour during a pandemic. Luckily it seems being in the close vicinity of people breathing is not an issue

[Puja]

Personally I can’t wait. I’m really hoping it goes ahead as planned. It’ll be very interesting to see ‘summer rugby’ In the Premiership and with players being less fit and less well drilled, I think we’ll see high scoring games.

I think it's more likely to lead to 40 knock-ons a game, but let's travel hopefully.

Puja

[Mikey Brown]

I think this is interesting, but I’m not totally sure.



Certainly nothing surprising from a Quins perspective. Average basically everywhere but fortunately don’t let teams make many clean breaks.

[Puja]

I think this is interesting, but I’m not totally sure.



Certainly nothing surprising from a Quins perspective. Average basically everywhere but fortunately don’t let teams make many clean breaks.

Those stats make a lot of sense from a Leicester perspective too. Not actually bad on tackle percentage, metres conceded, penalties conceded, clean breaks conceded, the fewest turnovers given away, but all that balanced out by the clear message that we don't want the ball. Fewest passes, runs, and metres by a significant distance and the most kicks - just stultifyingly unambitious and dour. Rightly bottom.

Most notable is Sale's defensive stats. Those are phenomenal. Reflected in them having the fewest points conceded by a reasonable distance.

Puja

[fivepointer]

Russ Petty is very good. Stats are always interesting....

Sale's defensive excellence comes over very clearly.

[Mikey Brown]

Ah yes. Looks to be worth a follow.

[Scrumhead]

Yep. Sale’s defensive stats are excellent. It’s not just Jono Ross, although his individual tackle stats are always massive.

They’re also up there on points scored. They’re definitely contenders for the play-offs and the league is not beyond them. The only thing I can see holding them back TBH is the risk of injuries combined with a small squad.

[Puja]

Ohno: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/53677836

I have other things to do; I can't watch 6 full games of rugby a week, but I also can't not watch them if they're there!

Puja

[Scrumhead]

Mrs Scrumhead is resigned to rugby dominating our TV!

[fivepointer]

Just making up for the games we've missed since March. I'm sure my missus will view the airing of back to back rugby as completely reasonable.

Or possibly not.....

Anyway, i'm getting just a touch excited about having some live action in a little over a week.

[Mellsblue]

Love this:

‘Clubs are working with BT Sport to allow season ticket-holders free access to home games on the channel's app.’

Brilliant idea.

[Doorzetbornandbred]

Just making up for the games we've missed since March. I'm sure my missus will view the airing of back to back rugby as completely reasonable.

Or possibly not.....

Anyway, i'm getting just a touch excited about having some live action in a little over a week.

Watching rugby or with the wife?

[fivepointer]

Just the rugby...really just the rugby!

Full fixture list here -

https://www.premiershiprugby.com/gallag ... s-results/

[switchskier]

I think this is interesting, but I’m not totally sure.



Certainly nothing surprising from a Quins perspective. Average basically everywhere but fortunately don’t let teams make many clean breaks.

Those stats make a lot of sense from a Leicester perspective too. Not actually bad on tackle percentage, metres conceded, penalties conceded, clean breaks conceded, the fewest turnovers given away, but all that balanced out by the clear message that we don't want the ball. Fewest passes, runs, and metres by a significant distance and the most kicks - just stultifyingly unambitious and dour. Rightly bottom.

Most notable is Sale's defensive stats. Those are phenomenal. Reflected in them having the fewest points conceded by a reasonable distance.

Puja

Exeter near the bottom of the table for tackle percentage is a surprise but being at the bottom for offloads is less surprising, even if it is boring.