PHIL HODGSON

THE Rugby Football League has thankfully been nothing but consistent, throughout the battle with the Covid-19 crisis, in its approach to the eventual return to action at amateur level.

While the Government signalled, a week ago, a possible green light by early December for grassroots sports, that was never likely to happen in Rugby League.

For one thing our game is now summer-based, other than the Student, College and Pennine Leagues, and the winter-centred Women’s Amateur Rugby League Association (none of which are likely, as far as I know, to resume anytime soon) so the notion of any fixtures before Christmas was largely academic in any case. December has, regardless of anything else, been a difficult month for a good few years now for anyone running amateur clubs as player availability has become a major issue – to the point where many clubs effectively ‘shut down’ for a full month.

The RFL is, understandably, sticking to its ‘return to action’ timetable, with training envisaged at the turn of the year – and subject of course to any further announcements by the Government and/or another ‘spike’ in the coronavirus pandemic.

Fair enough, I think. Amateur Rugby League is now bunkering down for the rest of the year; let’s hope that the New Year brings a new dawn, and that much will be back to something approaching normal come 2021.

Although players and coaches may be in hibernation, that’s far from the case for folk at the RFL, who I imagine are working as hard (perhaps harder) than ever.