Queensland targeting July competition resumption

Fri, Apr 24, 2020, 6:54 AM
Beth Newman
by Beth Newman
The QRU is targeting a July 1 return to play. Photo: Getty images
The QRU is targeting a July 1 return to play. Photo: Getty images

Queensland has become the first state to publicly reveal its return to play plan for community rugby, targeting a July 1 resumption.

Australia's states and territories will all be under different plans in the coming weeks and months depending on the rates of infection in their communities.

Queensland has begun recording very low, or in some cases no, additional cases each day and are confident that trend will continue.

Currently all community rugby across Australia is suspended until June 1 and Queensland has confirmed plans for teams to return to training on June 1 with competition to return in July.

It's a timeline not dissimilar to that of Rugby Australia's Return to Play Committee, which is targeting a July return for a domestic professional competition.

NSW's Shute Shield is also reportedly targeting a similar timeline.

In a statement on Friday afternoon, QRU CEO David Hanham said they were "cautiously optimistic" that they could follow this plan successfully.

“Like all Queenslanders we’ve noted the recent metrics from the Queensland government and their health experts that suggest that social distancing and other policy measures are flattening the curve on COVID-19 infections in this state," he said.

“In working with a range of internal and external stakeholders on the future lifting of the current suspension of community rugby in Australia, we remain cautiously optimistic that the road map we’ve created could see a return to community rugby training on June 1 with competitive rugby matches – at senior and junior level – to resume on July 1.

“We recognise that this plan is contingent on continuing positive health trends within Queensland but the actions of Queenslanders over the last few weeks are giving us confidence that these resumption dates are an achievable aim.

“The QRU’s GM of Community Rugby, Gaven Head, will continue his extensive consultative planning work with a range of stakeholders to continuously asses the timelines within this road map, to ensure that when Rugby is able to resume, it does so in a safe and managed way, while ensuring federal and state protocols are being observed and enforced.

“In terms of the resumption of elite professional Rugby, we continue our discussions with Rugby Australia and various federal and state agencies and today’s announcement is separate to that ongoing piece of work.”

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