It is almost time to start again for rugby fans. On Thursday June 25, the executive committee of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR – National Rugby League) has announced they have come to an agreement with the Sport Ministry in order to hold friendly games before championships return in September. From August 14, 2020, friendly rugby games will be allowed in France.
Le Comité Directeur de la LNR s’est réuni ce jeudi 25 juin et a évoqué le protocole de gestion des manifestations en période de Covid-19 envoyé au Ministère des Sports dans la perspective de la reprise des championnats en septembre.
— Ligue Nationale de Rugby (@LNRofficiel) June 25, 2020
Le communiqué 📄➡️ https://t.co/Tkaxj2uqIC pic.twitter.com/nFwEPsGdcZ
Tweet reads: “The LNR executive committee has met this Thursday June 25, 2020 and has spoken about the protocol to handle events in the midst of the Covid-19 era sent to the Sport Ministry in order to resume championships in September”.
In the release, the LNR says it is “based on works from the medical commission and the LNR’s sport commission” that the executive committee handed down its verdict. The authority says these games will take place “between professional French clubs, in categories A or B stadiums and with an authorization”.
Of course, the LNR underlines the fact that “the health and wellness of international players, the protection of the clubs’ and championships’ attractiveness” has been the origin of such a decision. If some clubs such as the Union Bordeaux-Bègles have already planned friendly games in August, the two Parisian clubs – naming the Stade Français Paris and the Racing 92 – have not shared their summer calendar yet.
