The reintroduction of limited contact training has been approved by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (‘DCMS’) and moves The Return to Community Rugby Roadmap from Stage C to Stage D.

The reinstatement of some contact activity is important to ensure players can continue to practice core skills and are able to start preparing and conditioning themselves appropriately as the game starts to return to normality with regular training and matches.

Varied training conditions will allow the return of tackling, lineouts and rucks, ensuring players are prepared to perform these skills safely and effectively with some restrictions. Mauls, scrums, opposed lineouts or upright tackles are still not permissible as the transmission exposure risk remains high. Contact training sessions have to be carried out in small groups of no more than six players.

Detail of the permitted training activity is available in the return to contact training guidance2.

Within each training session a maximum of 15 minutes will be allowed for all contact training activities (75 minutes being the total maximum time for each session). In the remainder of the training session, players are permitted to undertake socially distanced strength and conditioning activities, small group non-contact skill development drills and/or touch/Ready4Rugby games (the only other permitted game training activity).

Clubs are also now able to organise non-contact fixtures with other clubs using Ready4Rugby3 or other Touch formats and should ensure they are appropriately set up and prepared for safely welcoming other clubs and individuals to their venues.