The Welsh Rugby Union has confirmed that the community game season will start as planned, following a council meeting on August 25 to discuss the impact of recent warm weather on pitches.
Some leagues in Wales are due to begin on September 5, with the remainder starting on September 12. The decision follows weeks of heat that had led to concerns about pitch conditions, with the Rugby Football Union in England already postponing its grassroots season until at least September 21.
Rescheduling without sanction
The WRU wrote to clubs on Friday to say that, after taking advice from the Met Office and conducting its own research, the season would go ahead. The community game board has ruled that any club can reschedule a fixture without facing sanction by citing pitch conditions on the day or a lack of contact preparation time in the build-up to the game.
That provision will remain in place until after September 13, when updated advice will be issued. The WRU has also consulted medical advice to produce detailed guidance on risk assessment and injury prevention for clubs.
Player safety a priority
WRU community director Geraint John said: “The Community Game Board has made the sensible decision, reflecting on all the information available to us, to allow clubs to play where it is safe to do so.”
He added: “We are saying to our players and our clubs that it is very much ‘game on’ in Wales, but with the caveat that player safety and welfare must be an absolute priority when the decision is made at a local level about whether or not to play games.”
John emphasised that games can go ahead where safe, but clubs and referees are free to reschedule on safety grounds if there are any doubts. He noted that player registrations have hit an all-time high and said the WRU had avoided the disappointment of cancelling all community fixtures.
Match decisions and communication
According to the letter to clubs, if there is no mutual agreement on the condition of the pitch, the match will not go ahead and no action will be taken against the club unwilling to play. The fixture will instead be rearranged. If both teams are willing to play but the referee deems the surface unsuitable, no sanction will be applied.
Clubs can also request a fixture be postponed due to a lack of contact preparation. The WRU has urged clubs to communicate with each other as early as possible to avoid unnecessary travel.
