Premiership further delayed but aims to complete season

[ardenwasp]

Fresh from the beeb.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/52219200

[Neils]

Stupid. Wrap it up now.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

Straws. Clutching at.

[Vespula Vulgaris]

More info here.

https://www.london-irish.com/news/premiership-rugby-restart-update/bp2569/

[BG]

I can't help feel this is PRL trying to cling onto TV contracted money by not actually drawing a line under the season.

How on earth can there be a final? I presume PRL have already paid for Twickers and given the relationship between PRL and the RFU, I can't see the RFU offering a refund.

[Heathen]

Dream on.

[Hymenoptera]

Bit harsh. Everyone, incl PRL is doing their best to reduce the risk of clubs folding by delivering something, anything that will stop the financial rot that is penetrating the clubs.
While it appears unlikely surely they should be given some credit for attempting something rather than just rolling over and dying, no pun intended.
The Hopley and Childs interviews are candid in describing the shit that is covering the premiership fan.

[Heathen]

Times article :

RUGBY UNION | OWEN SLOT
Premiership will finish entire season if play returns by July

Premiership Rugby has said that it still intends to complete the whole top-flight season but it must have recommenced by early July if that is to be possible. If necessary, matches could be played behind closed doors and in mid-week to shorten the season.

When the coronavirus crisis struck last month, Premier Rugby (PRL) initially postponed the season with the intention of restarting in the last weekend of April. Today, there was the inevitable announcement that the postponement would be extended and no restart date was given.

However, the Premiership clubs are adamant that they will complete the season if possible and they have agreed to the two possible scenarios: that they will play behind closed doors and that they would play midweek games. In its statement yesterday, PRL said that “all measures put in place to ensure safety and wellbeing.”

The regular season was suspended with 13 of 22 rounds played and the season traditionally finishes with a semi-final play-off round and a final at Twickenham. In normal circumstances, that equates to 11 weekends of rugby.

However, if the clubs can resume playing by early July, then they believe that they can have a Twickenham final in the middle of August. If the season cannot be restarted by early July, then this season will either have to be squeezed or next season instead.

The intention remains for European competition to be completed too. There are only three weekends left — the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final. If the Premiership was finished by mid-August, the European competition would most likely be played in September.

Clearly, PRL would prefer to be able to start again before July, however, that is the latest restart date that would allow them to finish the season without dropping games.

However, the uncertain nature of the coronavirus crisis is such that PRL have formulated 15 possible contingency plans. The worst scenario would have an end-of-season finale that lasted over two weekends, with the clubs that are currently in the top four — Exeter Chiefs, Sale Sharks, Bristol Bears and Northampton Saints — playing out the play-offs and final.

One of the contingencies involves stacking up a number of games over the same weekend at the same venue. To limit travel and to keep the personnel and requirement of TV crews to a minimum, a series of games could be played back-to-back at a single stadium. PRL have already engaged in talks with Twickenham about this. To limit camera staff, there is an option to install remote control cameras around the ground and have them controlled and linked up at BT’s studio centre in Stratford, east London.

[baldpaul101]

Not sure why an attempt to try and finish the season in some format is being seen as "stupid" ?
Seems entirely logical to try and come up with some way of playing at least some games before next season kicks off, this is an attempt to try and do that. They can't obviously, know whats going to happen re the virus or the governments response to it, so it seems eminently sensible to plan various options and have them ready for what ever eventuality comes to pass.

[Skippy]

A sensible move might be to cut the games to 60 minutes. Then the players would not need to be as fit when the season restarts. It might also allow teams to play mid week games by reducing the stress on players bodies and reducing the post match recovery times.

[DGP Wasp]

A sensible move might be to cut the games to 60 minutes. Then the players would not need to be as fit when the season restarts. It might also allow teams to play mid week games by reducing the stress on players bodies and reducing the post match recovery times.

Not a bad idea at all.  They may well need to be very creative if they hope to complete the season.

[Shugs]

I think the season will finish. The movable object is next season. No reason why it can't start a few months later.

[DGP Wasp]

The current season didn't start until October. Even if subsequent seasons have to be adjusted to give a reasonable off season until we're back on a normal schedule.

[InBetweenWasp]

I think whatever happens, it's a lose-lose scenario.

I like the idea of a shorter-game to help reduce the impact on the players.  I'm less keen on midweek games from a player welfare perspective, even with condensed game-time.

As a fan, i'd rather we revert to some normality from September onwards and effectively write-off what can't be played this season (if we go again in July, some sort of straight knock-out games for the league title would be my preference), even though that would have meant paying for a ST for this season where i've only effectively seen 50-60% of games i've paid for (I wouldn't seek a refund, or redress to support the clubs finances, but equally, i'm in a position where that's possible without a negative impact on our finances and appreciate that others may not be in the same boat).

The Clubs and the Leagues presumably want to, or need to financially, see the season out as much as possible.

Delaying next season will also have an impact on the Lions and/or quality on the finals.  There's already a clash between the Prem Final and Lions Warm-Up game - delaying the season is likely to impact the Lions and also squads of those teams competiting.

[BG]

If PRL manages to organise games but they take place after 30 June.. how will they view players that have either technically left or joined a club at that point?

Surely clubs wouldn't be able to field newly signed players and conversely players that have come to the end of their current contract couldn't be forced to represent the club they've just left?