The Allianz Premier 15s – England’s top level women’s rugby competition – season kicks off today with a a series of Covid-related law variations.
Under World Rugby guidance, individual unions have been able to use a selection of law measures to enable to the game to restart safely. The variations all reduce in-game face-to-face contact along with a range of medical and monitoring requirements to mitigate potential transmission risks. This also allows the competition to start without weekly testing regime other competitions have had to implement. Given the mix of professional and semi-professional teams in the league, this would have been both a logistical and economic burden everyone.
All players and support staff are receiving thorough training modules and the choice to opt in to return to competition.
The RFU undertook a detailed risk analysis which demonstrated that compared to the Men’s Elite Game there was a higher frequency of scrums, but a lower frequency of high or smother tackles in the Women’s Elite Game (i.e. those with greater face-to-face contact).
It’s expected that there will be an 80% reduction in face-to-face contact as a result of the following law variations:
- Free kicks awarded to the opposition for a forward pass or a knock on – with maximum advantage on offer by the referees
- reducing scrums by over 75% & reducing face-to-face contact by 6%
- Removal of the option for a scrum at a free kick or penalty
- reducing face-to-face contact by 7%
- A maul may only have one stop then the ball must be used
- reducing the length of the maul
- No players who are not in the start of a lineout can join a maul
- reduce the number of players in the maul
- It will only be possible to drive a lineout in 22m
- reduce the number of mauls
- Strict social distancing while ball is out of play including set water breaks, named bottles, limited face-to-face warm up
- Game time reduced to 35 minutes each way
- to mitigate risk while also recognising the game will be faster with fewer stoppages and thereby supporting player welfare
The opening nine rounds of the season will be played using the adapted law variations for the elite women’s game before being reviewed ahead of the second half of the campaign.
All matches will be played behind closed doors until further notice.
Top female referees, Sara Cox and Nikki O’Donnell will be overseeing two of the first round matches, with former Gloucester prop Nick Wood, and Owen Taylor in charge of the other two fixtures. The Bristol v Wasps match has been postponed to 31 October due to a positive Covid-19 test in the Bristol camp.
Allianz Premier 15s – Round 1 match referee appointments
Saracens v Worcester Warriors
Referee: Nick Wood
ARs: Sam Phillips & Katherine Ritchie
Gloucester Hartpury v Exeter Chiefs
Referee: Sara Cox
ARs: Richard Waller & Ryan Collier
Sale Sharks v Loughborough Lightening
Referee: Owen Taylor
ARs: Elliott Lewis & Nia Parsonage
Harlequins v DMP Durham Sharks
Referee: Nikki O’Donnell
ARs: Hamish Grant & James Pidding