RFU to announce return of adapted 15-a-side rugby in the grassroots

After a nine-month wait, the Rugby Football Union will on Tuesday announce the return of an adapted 15-a-side rugby in the grass-roots game.

But it will come at a price for traditionalists with a temporary end to the scrum, which will be replaced by a free-kick, and maul, which will not be allowed to form.

This will undoubtedly anger a sizeable section of the grass-roots game who view the set piece as sacrosanct and Steve Grainger, the RFU’s rugby development director, has admitted that it will be a challenge to retain front-rowers in the new form of the game. Tackling and rucks, however, will be permitted.

As Telegraph Sport reported last month, the adaptations were agreed after lengthy negotiations with the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Public Health England. This will apply to all rugby union matches in England below Championship level and the Premier XVs in the women’s game.

Clubs will be permitted to start full 15-a-side contact training from Wednesday with local friendly fixtures allowed to commence from December 18. That will mark the end of a nine-month hiatus since rugby union was last played in England outside of the elite level.

While nearly every other major team sport had been given the green light to resume, the close contact nature of rugby union, particularly in the set piece, proved a significant obstacle for the RFU in their discussions with health authorities.

As Grainger told the Telegraph, the choice was effectively an adapted game or no game at all, but he understands the anger that will be felt by the lack of scrummaging and mauling. “We know that the impact of not having a front row is that we don’t have a game,” Grainger said. “This is not a conspiracy to kill the set piece. It really is the opposite. We are not giving up on it. We will keep pushing as hard as we can but at the end of the day we need Government approval and we have to find a position they are comfortable with.”