Pro14 season suspended

[JB1973]

Given the amount of contact in rugby, I really think we are looking at next year (not next season) before we see any top flight rugby again

I have no idea what the game will look like when it returns and how many professional sides will be left in place or what the seasons will look like going forward

[riocard911]

And then there's this:

"Atalanta vs Valencia identified as main source of corona virus spread in Italy"

The Champions League encounter between Atalanta and Valencia last month is considered the biggest source of the coronavirus spread in Italy.

That is according to a report in Cadena Ser, which claims that that the meeting in Milan last month is now thought to be the primary source of the mass spread of the virus in the northern Lombardy region of the country.

On Saturday, the government of Italy confirmed that 793 deaths from the virus had occurred in a 24-hour period, with the nation now suffering from 4,825 deaths and 53,578 active infections after detecting 4,821 new cases.

A statement from Valencia on 16 March confirmed 35% of their squad had tested positive and also mentioned having to play on February 19. in an ‘area confirmed high risk by the Italian authorities days later.’

Bergamo, the city where Atalanta are from, is the worst impacted in the entirety of the nation and 546 of the deaths announced on Saturday were from the Lombardy region.

Valencia players Ezequiel Garay, Jose Gaya and Eliaquim Mangala are among those who tested positive for the virus and are now in a period of quarantine.



https://www.football-espana.net/2020/03 ... AyWA5De0LA

[hugonaut]

When this is all over, we simply have to change the way he play rugby in Europe. Being part of a league made of so many different jurisdictions is likely to cause problems again in the future. Maybe not as severe at this but issues will arise. We should also be thinking about our planet having 2 teams in the other hemisphere flying up and down for games.

If we see no more rugby this calendar year (my belief) clubs will go of business in every league. Our future, to me, seems to be in a British league. No more Italians, no more South Africans.

Having a more limited territory would have make no difference in a pandemic. Economically, a broader market reach makes more money. Also we shouldn't forget that we have a direct interest in European rugby as our income from rugby comes from the 6 nations and the champions cup (to a lesser extent). Throwing the Italians under a bus and shutting out the French is crazy. I'd also say that as a fan of the game of rugby that it's the wrong thing to do. One of the things that separates Leinster as a club is that we're not just all about the money.

In any case, we should go no further than the current deal with the South African sides. Rearranging the league structure to include two left-over, mediocre sides from 10000km away has been an experiment that has paid no dividend and, in my opinion, has damaged the credibility of the league.

There've been seven iterations of the league structure in 19 years - too many changes. The ones at the start were far more understandable than the most recent - in the early years of the millenium, rugby was in its childhood as a professional sport. The game went open in August 1995, so the sport as a profession was six years old at the start of the first Celtic League. It was finding its feet, and there were missteps.

While the Celtic League of Iteration #4 had an obvious legibility, i.e. the three 'Celtic', English-speaking countries contributing almost equal numbers of teams [4 Irish, 4 Welsh, 3 Scottish], ultimately it was economically unviable for the Scottish union, who merged the Borders with Edinburgh.

Iteration #5 only featured 10 teams, which meant an 18 game regular season: good for player management, strong teams and sequencing of the season, but not good for finances – only 9 home gates over a 9 month regular season.

The league was in its most satisfactory iteration between 2010-11 and 2016-17: Iteration #6 & #6A, a Pro12 featuring teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy. Of course there are issues when it comes to operating a league across two languages, but I think the inclusion of two Italian teams was neatly accommodated, and was worthwhile for the growth of the game in Italy, a Six Nations partner.

I think that Iteration #6A [three seasons from 2014-15 to 2016-17, inclusive], with new requirements for European qualification on the line, was probably the best version of the league, as it meant that there was meaningful matches for most teams for the longest period.

**
Season 1, 2001-02 [Iteration #1]
Celtic League: 2no conferences, 15 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow
Wales: Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Ebbw Vale, Llanelli, Neath, Newport, Pontypridd, Swansea
**
Season 2, 2002-03 [Iteration #2]
Celtic League: 2 no conferences, 16 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Borders
Wales: Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Ebbw Vale, Llanelli, Neath, Newport, Pontypridd, Swansea
**
Season 3, 2003-04 [Iteration #3]
Celtic League: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Borders
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Celtic Warriors, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 4, 2004-05: [Iteration #4]
Celtic League: 1 conference, 11 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow Warriors, Borders
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 5, 2005-06: [Iteration #4]
Celtic League: 1 conference, 11 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors, Border Reivers
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 6, 2006-07 [Iteration #4]
Magners League: 1 conference, 11 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors, Border Reivers
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 7, 2007-08 [Iteration #5]
Magners League: 1 conference, 10 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 8, 2008-09 [Iteration #5]
Magners League: 1 conference, 10 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 9, 2009-10 [Iteration #5]
Magners League: 1 conference, 10 teams; end of season play-offs introduced
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 10, 2010-11 [Iteration #6]
Magners League: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Aironi
**
Season 11, 2011-12 [Iteration #6]
RaboDirect Pro12: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Aironi
**
Season 12, 2012-13 [Iteration #6]
RaboDirect Pro12: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
**
Season 13, 2013-14 [Iteration #6]
RaboDirect Pro12: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
**
Season 14, 2014-15 [Iteration #6A]
Guinness Pro12: 1 conference, 12 teams; qualification for Europe amendments
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
**
Season 15, 2015-16 [Iteration #6A]
Guinness Pro12: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
**
Season 16, 2016-17 [Iteration #6A]
Guinness Pro12: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
**
Season 17, 2017-18 [Iteration #7]
Guinness Pro14: 2 conferences, 14 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
South Africa: Cheetahs, Southern Kings
**
Season 18, 2018-19 [Iteration #7]
Guinness Pro14: 2 conferences, 14 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
South Africa: Cheetahs, Southern Kings
**
Season 19, 2019-20 [Iteration #7]
Guinness Pro14: 2 conferences, 14 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
South Africa: Cheetahs, Southern Kings

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Is there anything official/strongly rumoured about more SA teams joining? It's been mentioned a lot in various places over the years but I get the feeling the chat has cooled and might be off the table.

I suggested similar to Suisse in another thread recently and also said that Super Rugby should have domestic competitions first and join up for a knockout phase. If that kind of idea came to pass then there'd be a home for the Kings and Cheetahs because SA would need more teams. As much as I enjoy the CC, if we had a B&I league you could get rid of the group stage and just have a knockout phase for Europe. Then potentially a play off with the Super Rugby champions. Tbh that's not something I've any interest in but I'm just saying there are loads of options and if we align things correctly around the world then the interest will grow. Things feel too disjointed and gimmicky at the moment.

This really is a golden opportunity for the powers that be to press the reset button and have all their ducks in a row for new competitions and coordinate things better at some point in the future, maybe after the next world cup. TV money and advertising is obviously a big issue right now if you're trying to pitch new competitions but that'll be a problem anyway after this crisis and I'd take the view that the structure would just be much better and have a real opportunity to grow over the following decade or two. CVC's plans would be another consideration of course.

[leinsterforever]

When this is all over, we simply have to change the way he play rugby in Europe. Being part of a league made of so many different jurisdictions is likely to cause problems again in the future. Maybe not as severe at this but issues will arise. We should also be thinking about our planet having 2 teams in the other hemisphere flying up and down for games.

If we see no more rugby this calendar year (my belief) clubs will go of business in every league. Our future, to me, seems to be in a British league. No more Italians, no more South Africans.

Having a more limited territory would have make no difference in a pandemic. Economically, a broader market reach makes more money. Also we shouldn't forget that we have a direct interest in European rugby as our income from rugby comes from the 6 nations and the champions cup (to a lesser extent). Throwing the Italians under a bus and shutting out the French is crazy. I'd also say that as a fan of the game of rugby that it's the wrong thing to do. One of the things that separates Leinster as a club is that we're not just all about the money.

In any case, we should go no further than the current deal with the South African sides. Rearranging the league structure to include two left-over, mediocre sides from 10000km away has been an experiment that has paid no dividend and, in my opinion, has damaged the credibility of the league.

There've been seven iterations of the league structure in 19 years - too many changes. The ones at the start were far more understandable than the most recent - in the early years of the millenium, rugby was in its childhood as a professional sport. The game went open in August 1995, so the sport as a profession was six years old at the start of the first Celtic League. It was finding its feet, and there were missteps.

While the Celtic League of Iteration #4 had an obvious legibility, i.e. the three 'Celtic', English-speaking countries contributing almost equal numbers of teams [4 Irish, 4 Welsh, 3 Scottish], ultimately it was economically unviable for the Scottish union, who merged the Borders with Edinburgh.

Iteration #5 only featured 10 teams, which meant an 18 game regular season: good for player management, strong teams and sequencing of the season, but not good for finances – only 9 home gates over a 9 month regular season.

The league was in its most satisfactory iteration between 2010-11 and 2016-17: Iteration #6 & #6A, a Pro12 featuring teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy. Of course there are issues when it comes to operating a league across two languages, but I think the inclusion of two Italian teams was neatly accommodated, and was worthwhile for the growth of the game in Italy, a Six Nations partner.

I think that Iteration #6A [three seasons from 2014-15 to 2016-17, inclusive], with new requirements for European qualification on the line, was probably the best version of the league, as it meant that there was meaningful matches for most teams for the longest period.

**
Season 1, 2001-02 [Iteration #1]
Celtic League: 2no conferences, 15 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow
Wales: Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Ebbw Vale, Llanelli, Neath, Newport, Pontypridd, Swansea
**
Season 2, 2002-03 [Iteration #2]
Celtic League: 2 no conferences, 16 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Borders
Wales: Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Ebbw Vale, Llanelli, Neath, Newport, Pontypridd, Swansea
**
Season 3, 2003-04 [Iteration #3]
Celtic League: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Borders
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Celtic Warriors, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 4, 2004-05: [Iteration #4]
Celtic League: 1 conference, 11 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow Warriors, Borders
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 5, 2005-06: [Iteration #4]
Celtic League: 1 conference, 11 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors, Border Reivers
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 6, 2006-07 [Iteration #4]
Magners League: 1 conference, 11 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors, Border Reivers
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 7, 2007-08 [Iteration #5]
Magners League: 1 conference, 10 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 8, 2008-09 [Iteration #5]
Magners League: 1 conference, 10 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 9, 2009-10 [Iteration #5]
Magners League: 1 conference, 10 teams; end of season play-offs introduced
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
**
Season 10, 2010-11 [Iteration #6]
Magners League: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Aironi
**
Season 11, 2011-12 [Iteration #6]
RaboDirect Pro12: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Aironi
**
Season 12, 2012-13 [Iteration #6]
RaboDirect Pro12: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
**
Season 13, 2013-14 [Iteration #6]
RaboDirect Pro12: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
**
Season 14, 2014-15 [Iteration #6A]
Guinness Pro12: 1 conference, 12 teams; qualification for Europe amendments
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
**
Season 15, 2015-16 [Iteration #6A]
Guinness Pro12: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
**
Season 16, 2016-17 [Iteration #6A]
Guinness Pro12: 1 conference, 12 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
**
Season 17, 2017-18 [Iteration #7]
Guinness Pro14: 2 conferences, 14 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
South Africa: Cheetahs, Southern Kings
**
Season 18, 2018-19 [Iteration #7]
Guinness Pro14: 2 conferences, 14 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
South Africa: Cheetahs, Southern Kings
**
Season 19, 2019-20 [Iteration #7]
Guinness Pro14: 2 conferences, 14 teams
Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht,
Scotland: Edinburgh Gunners, Glasgow Warriors,
Wales: Cardiff Blues, Llanelli Scarlets, Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Newport Gwent Dragons
Italy: Treviso, Zebre
South Africa: Cheetahs, Southern Kings

What about the SA tv money? Didn't the tv deal shoot up from £12 million to £30 million or something to coincide with the addition of the Cheetahs and the Kings?

The issue is that the Kings are a quota team who are being asked to play at a level beyond them. They aren't in the Currie Cup premier division, when the Pumas and the Griquas are.

It is what it is - extra tv money and a chance for Leinster to win matches and develop players. I'm not complaining.

[Dave Cahill]

They aren't in the Currie Cup at all. The Currie Cup is a provincial competition and the Kings aren't a Provincial side, they're centrally owned by the SARU and have no anchor province.

[blockhead]

What about the SA tv money? Didn't the tv deal shoot up from £12 million to £30 million or something to coincide with the addition of the Cheetahs and the Kings?

The issue is that the Kings are a quota team who are being asked to play at a level beyond them. They aren't in the Currie Cup premier division, when the Pumas and the Griquas are.

It is what it is - extra tv money and a chance for Leinster to win matches and develop players. I'm not complaining.

Yes, the TV Money from RSA was a big factor in getting these 2 teams into the Pro14.
CVC however have demands for their E120M, which seeemingly include another South African team joining the Pro14.
Reading between the lines when you listen to South African club owners and administraters you can see that they are looking at the long game.

[riocard911]

The IRFU's Philip Browne in today's IT on the current situation and the prospects for concluding the 2019/2020 season:

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... -1.4211259

[Flash Gordon]

Pro14: Edinburgh & Leinster final one of options on table

By Andy Burke

BBC Scotland

5 hours agoFrom the sectionRugby Union
Share this page
Last year's Pro14 final was between Glasgow Warriors and Leinster at Celtic Park
Last year's Pro14 final was between Glasgow Warriors and Leinster at Celtic Park
A one-off final between conference leaders Edinburgh and Leinster has been mooted as Pro14 officials explore all possible options to finish the season.

Earlier this month, the league for clubs from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Italy and South Africa was suspended.

The league are eager to avoid declaring the campaign null and void and are working on a number of outcomes.

One scenario is a shortened campaign, with the league going straight to play-off semi-finals or finals.

That would be based on existing standings, meaning a potential final between the two current conference leaders, Leinster and Edinburgh.

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc with the rugby calendar across all competitions.

The Six Nations Championship remains unfinished, all domestic club leagues in Scotland have been declared null and void, and all leagues in England have been brought to a premature end with the exception of the Premiership.

World Rugby is currently working on how best to adapt the schedule when rugby is allowed to resume.

There is a growing sense that all international summer tours - including Scotland's Test matches in South Africa and New Zealand in July - will have to be cancelled.

Should that come to pass, that could open the door for clubs to resume training in July - should government policy allow - with the aim of playing the remainder of the existing Pro14 season in August and September.

It's accepted that players would need at least four weeks of training before they could return to competitive action.

[riocard911]

For comparison's sake - yesterday's news re German soccer courtesy of the state broadcaster ARD

https://www.tagesschau.de/sport/sportsc ... g-101.html

Bundesliga training despite corona crisis

Status: 06.04.2020 16:22

Several clubs of the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga resume training. An overview of the clubs' activities, which raises questions about fair competition and social acceptance.

When managing director Christian Seifert announced the further suspension of play in the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga until 30 April following the general assembly of the German Football League (DFL), which was held via video conference, he added another date: "Team training should also be suspended until 5 April. The 36 clubs had decided this unanimously.

So on Monday, 6 April, training will officially resume for many clubs, provided the local authorities allow it. However, the decision was not implemented as unanimously as it had been taken.

Commitment to contactless practice

After all, six clubs have already resumed training for a few days after long days of cyber training and individual plans. There was displeasure all around FC Augsburg, who had been back on the ball since 23 March. "Every footballer wants to have the ball at his feet and feel the grass," coach Heiko Herrlich replied. Borussia Dortmund followed on 30 March, and four other clubs started training again during the week. However, "training" is far from being the regular operation one was used to from the time before the coronavirus pandemic.

Augsburg and all clubs that are training again emphasized their commitment to contactless training. Long passes, individual exercises or shots are possible - duels are not. The group sizes are also different. In many teams, only two players were initially allowed to work together. At Schalke there will be seven in a group from Monday. Showering and eating is usually done at home. Hygiene regulations, distance between the players, regulations of the authorities - everything is strictly adhered to, the clubs assure.

Bundesliga in training
Club training off/on/off
FC Augsburg 23.03.
Borussia Dortmund 30.03.
B. Leverkusen 04/01
Schalke 04 01.04.
RB Leipzig 02.04.
Eintracht Frankfurt 03.04.
Bavaria Munich 06.04.
Bor. M'gladbach 06.04.
VfL Wolfsburg 06.04.
TSG Hoffenheim 06.04.
1. FC Cologne 06.04.
Union Berlin 06.04.
F. Düsseldorf 06.04.
Hertha BSC 06.04.
SC Paderborn 06.04.
1st FSV Mainz 05 07.04.
SC Freiburg unclear
Werder Bremen 07.04.

Seifert: "Distortion of competition? That goes too far for me"

Seifert had said at the video press conference that the DFL was trying to coordinate its activities. "I also read that the issue of distortion of competition could possibly be one, because one person trains a week earlier than another," Seifert said and contradicted: "Personally, that's going a bit too far for me.

I'll be back in training on Tuesday.

That could have been seen differently in Bremen. Werder would have liked to resume training, but the senate did not decide on the club's application until Monday (06.04.2020). The traditional club is now allowed to train again from Tuesday in small groups of four and under strict conditions - and not in groups of ten players as Werder had requested.

With this decision, the club is trying "to do justice to the right to practise the profession and to the greatest possible reduction of risks," said Bremen's Senator of the Interior, Ulrich Mäurer.

Seifert had said that common framework conditions were the ideal case for the professional soccer industry. "But we know who has to make these decisions - and it is not us.

Social acceptance questionable

Training should also represent a step back to normality, that is the clear desire of professional football. And it is the preliminary stage to resuming the game. When and in what form this can take place is still unclear. If football were to ramp up its operations parallel to the existing restrictions for the rest of the population, the social acceptance of these measures would remain questionable.

Virologist Alexander Kekulé said in an interview on ZDF television that it is "purely virologically" possible to play again. "But only if you create a kind of special bubble for the soccer players." The players would have to live privately under special security conditions. "The whole team would have to be in a kind of special quarantine. And they'd have to be retested before every game," the professor said.

All in all, about 20,000 tests would be needed by the end of the season. According to Kekulé, 100,000 tests are carried out in Germany every day so far, and the trend is rising. Should this scenario actually occur, however, it is also clear that politicians would then have to justify this special treatment of football to society.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[riocard911]

Light at the end of the tunnel? Courtesy of Gervais in yesterday's IT:

"Pro 14 chief Anayi ‘really confident’ that season will finish - Ideal eight-week schedule would initially see derbies being played behind closed doors"

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... -1.4229801

[JB1973]

I don't see it personally. players are human beings with familys and I don't see anyone agreeing to being in a scrum at the moment

As much as I love rugby, players are well down the pecking order in terms of getting tested and no one should be allowed to play unless fully tested

[riocard911]

Sounds like the English Premier League are resigned to not completing the current season:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... y-covid-19

[riocard911]

IRFU working away on having interprovincials in the summer with Ulster relocating their training base to the RoI i.e. Dundalk as a temporary measure:

https://www.the42.ie/irfu-ulster-dundal ... 6-Apr2020/

[blockhead]

IRFU working away on having interprovincials in the summer with Ulster relocating their training base to the RoI i.e. Dundalk as a temporary measure:

https://www.the42.ie/irfu-ulster-dundal ... 6-Apr2020/

So the Wildlings are to be based in Castle Black eh?
Sorry, midway through a Game of Thrones rerun.

[riocard911]

IRFU working away on having interprovincials in the summer with Ulster relocating their training base to the RoI i.e. Dundalk as a temporary measure:

https://www.the42.ie/irfu-ulster-dundal ... 6-Apr2020/

So the Wildlings are to be based in Castle Black eh?
Sorry, midway through a Game of Thrones rerun.

Stop the lights. Don't you know as soon as the Nordies rediscover their inner Cúchulainn, they'll be demanding Louth (Cooley Peninsula included) back!!!

[mfjoc]

IRFU working away on having interprovincials in the summer with Ulster relocating their training base to the RoI i.e. Dundalk as a temporary measure:

https://www.the42.ie/irfu-ulster-dundal ... 6-Apr2020/

So the Wildlings are to be based in Castle Black eh?
Sorry, midway through a Game of Thrones rerun.

Stop the lights. Don't you know as soon as the Nordies rediscover their inner Cúchulainn, they'll be demanding Louth (Cooley Peninsula included) back!!!

Why not reflect the reality of where most of the team come from and rename them "North Leinster"?

[lotmc]

Hard to argue with Dave Rennie's recommendation! From rte.ie https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2020/042 ... ss-rennie/

Scrap season and declare Leinster Pro14 champions - Glasgow boss Rennie

Outgoing Glasgow head coach Dave Rennie believes it is time to call time on the season and feels Leinster should be declared Guinness PRO14 champions.

The next Australia head coach does not feel trying to resume this season in late summer or the autumn would be fair given all clubs will lose players and some coaches too beforehand.

And he warned against "flogging" players by trying to squeeze the end of the campaign in before next term.

Champions Leinster have won all 13 games and sit on 61 points in Conference A, 20 clear of Ulster and with 14 more than Conference B leaders Edinburgh.

Warriors, last season's runners-up, sit third behind Ulster and on course for a quarter-final spot with eight games left but Rennie thinks it is time to call the season quits.

"Clearly, in the time frames that we started with, we are not going to be playing rugby in June," he said.

"So that complicates issues obviously for players and the coaching staff who may or may not be here beyond that point.

"There’s a lot of people dying and all over the world people have lost their jobs, the whole world is taking pay cuts. I guess the importance of getting back playing doesn’t really rank with the things I have mentioned.

"Whatever decision is made needs to have integrity involved because to try and push the finals back in August and play with whoever is here, I’m just not sure that will do it justice.

"We have seen other comps just reward the team that’s leading. It’s hard to argue that Leinster, unbeaten all year, miles in front of the competition, it’s hard to not just award them the comp."

Two weeks ago Celtic Rugby chief executive Martin Anayi claimed he was "really confident" the competition could resume behind closed doors sometime in July or August but Rennie wants the players to get proper rest.

"All of the decisions have got to be made around player welfare on one hand and what's best for the state of the country," the New Zealander said.

"I don’t think they are going to rush into relaxing laws.

"What we really want is some sort of clarity from the PRO14 as to what the future looks like. Because at the moment players are in limbo, everyone is still training hard in the hope that maybe we will come back and play some footy.

"I just worry about the affect that will have into next season if they continue to train and eventually we get a date and try to finish this season and go straight into next season.

"I just want to make sure they are not trying to flog the players and they end up with a 13 or 14-month season."

[Dave Cahill]

Very easy to argue with it. The Pro14 isn't a league. The team with the most points aren't the champions, the team that wins the final are. The prize for having the most points is a home semi final. In the 10 years since the League moved to play offs, the team with the most points have won the league only three times

[blockhead]

Who would want the title in these circumstances? At the very least have a final V Edinburgh. Even then it would'nt sit right.
They should hand it to Munster. Give us all a laugh.