Locked out - Championship and League One clubs told to pause pre-season

Training in rugby league's lower divisions has been put on hold because of the new coronavirus lockdown.

The government has confirmed elite sport, including training by Betfred Super League clubs, can continue, but the Rugby Football League (RFL) are advising Championship and League One outfits to take a two-week break from pre-season.

The community game, which was due to resume at youth and open-age level this month, remains suspended under government rules.

Championship sides including Featherstone Rovers, Batley Bulldogs and Dewsbury Rams had begun pre-season training, along with League One Hunslet.

Academy and Scholarship programmes will also be suspended and Women’s Super League clubs - among them Leeds Rhinos, Castleford Tigers, Wakefield Trinity and Featherstone - are advised to pause their pre-season.

The RFL hope England Women and Wheelchair squads will continue with scheduled training camps in January and February.

A statement from the governing body pledged: "The RFL will be contacting community clubs and, while recognising that the priority remains the public health emergency, will continue to stress to government, working with other sports, the importance of team sports in terms of the nation’s mental and physical fitness and the importance of community clubs in terms of social cohesion – and will work towards a return of training then competitions as soon as possible this spring."

It added: "The RFL has advised clubs in Betfred Championship and League One to pause their pre-season training programmes for the next two weeks, in recognition of the national crisis and with more than seven weeks until the scheduled start of the 2021 season.

"This will allow detailed discussions with clubs, before the publication of fixtures – which will be delayed, as will the draw for the first two rounds of the Challenge Cup, until a further announcement later this month.

"The RFL will continue to work closely with Betfred Super League clubs to ensure the protocols around their pre-season training programmes evolve to reflect the current landscape and understanding of the disease."

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