Following this afternoon’s Government announcement that the majority of the country will move into Tiers 3 and 4 as of 00.01 tomorrow morning, we wanted to provide a reminder of Tier implications for community rugby for you to be able to share with your clubs and to help with any queries you may receive in the coming days.

Please see below for guidance on what can and can’t be done in each Tier. While these continue to be extremely difficult times for everyone involved, it was a huge boost to hear Government say that today’s approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is the single biggest stride we’ve been able to take since the pandemic began and will provide a route out of the crisis.

However, for now, with the new variant of the virus estimated to be over 50% more transmissible than the original, it is vital that we all adhere to Tier and Covid-19 guidance until we reach a stage where restrictions can gradually be lifted.

• Clubs in Tier 3 can still play rugby according to Stage E on the Return to Community Rugby Roadmap Please remember, there is no obligation to play 15-a-side adapted contact fixtures, however it is an option for clubs who wish to do so.
• Clubs in a Tier 4 area should cancel any upcoming adult training/fixtures.
• At the time of writing, rugby activity in Tier 4 areas can continue for U18s (including those who were under 18 on 31 August 2020) and for people with a disability as exemptions are in place. We will advise of any changes if we receive an update from Government in the next few days.
• Government advice on sports activity in Tier 4 areas is here
• For any queries, please visit our Helpdesk FAQs on our Club Support page here
• Resources are also available on our Coronavirus Hub here
• If you are unsure on what tier you are currently in or will be going into, you can find it using the Government website here (Each bullet point listed on the Government website represents each specific area.)

Please see below for a reminder around travel and match play in each tier:

Adult Rugby

• Adult players living in Tier 3 can only travel within their own specific Tier 3 area to train or play. (See above for Government website areas)
• Adult players living in Tier 3 cannot travel into another Tier 3 area (or other Tiers) to train or play (which includes their own club if it is in a different geographic area).
• Adult rugby is not permitted in Tier 4. 

Age Grade

At the time of writing, the following still applies. We will advise of any changes if we receive an update from Government in the next few days.

• Age grade players may, due to Government exemptions for U18s, travel across tiers 1-3 to train or play and can be accompanied by one parent or carer. However, to protect all involved, we strongly recommend that wherever possible training and match play follows adult guidelines.  
• Age grade players in Tier 4 may only travel within their specific Tier 4 area to train or play and may only be accompanied by one parent or carer.

Volunteers

• Volunteers (including coaches and match officials) may travel across Tiers 1-3, where necessary, to enable participation to take place. However, to protect all involved, we strongly recommend this is kept to an absolute minimum. 
• Volunteers (including coaches and match officials) living in Tier 4 should only travel within their specific Tier 4 area to enable participation to take place for U18s ONLY.
• Additional exemptions are in place for people with a disability.  

We will update you when we receive further information from Government and will work hard to enable as many people as possible to return to rugby when it is safe to do so.

While it’s not the way many of us would wish to start 2021, the priority is to keep everyone safe. We wish you all a healthy New Year and will be in touch again soon.

In response to many questions about AGR training sessions, our guidance for clubs in Tier 3 is:-

Every AGR player can be accompanied by one guardian who must observe the goverment guidelines on social distancing.

Exploring Funding and Club Support please find attached further information on two specific avenues of financial support, which CBs and Clubs can benefit from, Business Grant Scheme and VAT Reclaims.

Please take a look and contact the CB with any queries.

• Web-link: https://zoom.us/rec/share/tkWW_SM3Er9IBobIEHXPJqqVjSJvtBgtPqcADf6JWgj3S50tNxVM5XjZUmlveVPK.LnMxM3lEs26Pnb_Z
• Passcode: C%3Lm?#d

On Wednesday 14 October 2020, on Facebook, I shared the Guardian’s article entitled ‘RFU Clears trans women to play rugby at all levels in England’.

I want to try to add some clarity and context to the debate and answer some of the issues raised on social media.

Until its recent decision, WR was in favour of the inclusion of transgender women in the women’s game, and the RFU were bound by that WR policy and left to determine how best to implement it. On 9 January 2019, the RFU Governance Standing Committee debated a proposal to amend the Union’s policy, process and the requirements for transgender women applying to play in the women’s game under the WR policy. An updated RFU policy and a process were approved, which set out how  the WR policy would operate in England.

The policy and process were approved by the RFU Council on 8 February 2019.

There has been no further debate had, or decision made in this regard, at Governance Standing Committee, RFU Council, or indeed at the Diversity & Inclusion Working or Implementation Groups since the RFU Council decision on 8 February 2019 and that policy, and process, has been in force for over 18 months. Neither has there been any debate or decision since WR changed its policy on 9 October 2020, when it decided to ban participation at elite level and to leave NGBs to decide their stance below that.

Essentially then, the RFU ‘comment’ widely reported in the press is not a new decision but a reiteration of what has been the status quo since 8 February 2019.

The RFU has not voted on the principle of the inclusion of trans women in the women’s game and, consequently, I personally have not had a vote on the principle.

The RFU’s official response, issued yesterday, is as follows:

The RFU along with other nations including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA has not chosen to adopt the World Rugby Transgender Guidelines at this time and will keep its current policy in place for now.  

The current policy follows World Rugby’s former transgender guidelines where athletes must apply to the RFU for permission to play.  For transgender females this includes providing evidence of testosterone levels below 5 nmol/L continuously for a period of at least 12 months immediately prior to application and they must keep their serum testosterone concentration below that level for as long as they wish to play in the female category.  All requests are reviewed by a panel including the RFU Head of Regulation & Integrity, RFU Player Welfare Manager and a medical representative appointed by the RFU.  It is important to note that we have fewer than ten transgender women currently playing in England and there has been no associated increase in injury.  

The ban proposed by World Rugby would mean excluding those people immediately without any ability for them to appeal or for their particular circumstances to be considered individually.   

The RFU welcomes the work undertaken by World Rugby however it believes the evidence is not advanced enough for us to be content that a blanket ban could not be challenged. 

The RFU wants to keep the welfare of all players at the heart of its decision making.  At the same time, rugby has always been an inclusive sport and so when considering this complex subject, we believe we also need to make sure we are taking an approach which supports inclusivity while protecting fairness and safety for female players. 

The World Rugby Transgender Guidelines have created many sensational headlines and while this is a complex subject that invokes many strong views, it is important to highlight that the RFU response is carefully considered.

As a next step the RFU will work with other Unions to continue to develop scientific work, to answer outstanding questions so that we can develop guidelines that can be implemented globally.  Our aim is to work with World Rugby to find a solution that is as inclusive as it can be, whilst achieving fairness and safety for women.  The RFU will also undertake further consultation with players in the women’s game to understand their views.   

Any comments on the above should be addressed wishing to MediaRFU@RFU.com

Peter Howard 15 October 2020

On Wednesday 14 October 2020, on Facebook, I shared the Guardian’s article entitled ‘RFU Clears trans women to play rugby at all levels in England’.

I want to try to add some clarity and context to the debate and answer some of the issues raised on social media.

Until its recent decision, WR was in favour of the inclusion of transgender women in the women’s game, and the RFU were bound by that WR policy and left to determine how best to implement it. On 9 January 2019, the RFU Governance Standing Committee debated a proposal to amend the Union’s policy, process and the requirements for transgender women applying to play in the women’s game under the WR policy. An updated RFU policy and a process were approved, which set out how  the WR policy would operate in England.

The policy and process were approved by the RFU Council on 8 February 2019.

There has been no further debate had, or decision made in this regard, at Governance Standing Committee, RFU Council, or indeed at the Diversity & Inclusion Working or Implementation Groups since the RFU Council decision on 8 February 2019 and that policy, and process, has been in force for over 18 months. Neither has there been any debate or decision since WR changed its policy on 9 October 2020, when it decided to ban participation at elite level and to leave NGBs to decide their stance below that.

Essentially then, the RFU ‘comment’ widely reported in the press is not a new decision but a reiteration of what has been the status quo since 8 February 2019.

The RFU has not voted on the principle of the inclusion of trans women in the women’s game and, consequently, I personally have not had a vote on the principle.

The RFU’s official response, issued yesterday, is as follows:

The RFU along with other nations including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA has not chosen to adopt the World Rugby Transgender Guidelines at this time and will keep its current policy in place for now.  

The current policy follows World Rugby’s former transgender guidelines where athletes must apply to the RFU for permission to play.  For transgender females this includes providing evidence of testosterone levels below 5 nmol/L continuously for a period of at least 12 months immediately prior to application and they must keep their serum testosterone concentration below that level for as long as they wish to play in the female category.  All requests are reviewed by a panel including the RFU Head of Regulation & Integrity, RFU Player Welfare Manager and a medical representative appointed by the RFU.  It is important to note that we have fewer than ten transgender women currently playing in England and there has been no associated increase in injury.  

The ban proposed by World Rugby would mean excluding those people immediately without any ability for them to appeal or for their particular circumstances to be considered individually.   

The RFU welcomes the work undertaken by World Rugby however it believes the evidence is not advanced enough for us to be content that a blanket ban could not be challenged. 

The RFU wants to keep the welfare of all players at the heart of its decision making.  At the same time, rugby has always been an inclusive sport and so when considering this complex subject, we believe we also need to make sure we are taking an approach which supports inclusivity while protecting fairness and safety for female players. 

The World Rugby Transgender Guidelines have created many sensational headlines and while this is a complex subject that invokes many strong views, it is important to highlight that the RFU response is carefully considered.

As a next step the RFU will work with other Unions to continue to develop scientific work, to answer outstanding questions so that we can develop guidelines that can be implemented globally.  Our aim is to work with World Rugby to find a solution that is as inclusive as it can be, whilst achieving fairness and safety for women.  The RFU will also undertake further consultation with players in the women’s game to understand their views.   

Anyone wishing to complain or comment, should please direct their communications to MediaRFU@RFU.com

 Peter Howard 15 October 2020