Frequently Asked Questions:
What additional activity can take place under Stage D and what measures have the Club got in place to ensure continued safety of participants?
Under the RFU Return to Rugby Stage D guidance, Clubs can now include an element of adapted contact into sessions. These are:

Tackling: Only 1 v 1 tackles are permitted and all tackles must be at the waist or below only. No upright tackles are permitted and there can be no trying to hold up the ball carrier to prevent an offload.
Ruck: A maximum of 2 v 2 players in a ruck (ball carrier and tackler, plus 1 v 1 on their feet over the ball).
Line Out: Unopposed lineout drills are permitted with lifting of a jumper (under 16 and above only). No mauls to be formed after the ball has been secured. The time the front lifter and a jumper are face to face in a lineout setup must not exceed 3 seconds in duration. Opposed jumping is not permitted.

In addition, the following guidelines that must be adhered to:
Adapted contact activity must not exceed 15-minute total duration within a single training session; Players must be placed in groups of a maximum of 6 for adapted contact and non-contact skill development activities.
All coaches have been made aware of the new guidance and all sessions will be run in accordance with both Stage C and Stage D guidelines.

Can equipment such as tackle bags and shields etc. now be used?
Yes, they can, the guidance gives clear instruction as to the use of contact equipment (tackle pads / bags) and it clearly states that all equipment must be sanitised after each player use and not used by multiple people without cleaning.
In order to remove the transmission risk associated with the use of such equipment, contact equipment is not to be used under any circumstances at the present time.

These are clearly additional to the Return to Rugby Stage C Guidance, remind me, what are the key requirements to return to Club activity?
The most important requirement is that all players and coaches MUST complete a self- screening declaration before attending any organized Club activity
Each individual player and coach MUST be able to answer “No” to the following questions. Do they have:
• A high temperature
• A new continuous cough
• Short of breath
• A sore throat
• Loss or change in normal sense of taste or smell
• Feeling generally unwell
• Persistent tiredness
• Been in close contact with / travel from a high-risk region / living with suspected or confirmed
case of Covid 19 in the previous 2 weeks
If any player or coach answers “Yes” to any of the above, they must not attend the Club activity and should seek guidance from NHS Direct.
Any player arriving for a session who has not self-screened will be asked to leave the premises immediately.
Any player / parent / carer suffering from any Covid-19 symptoms must stay away from the premises and seek a Covid -19 test at the earliest opportunity. Players will only be allowed to return to rugby activity on production of a negative test.

What is the Club procedure should a positive test be confirmed of a player, coach or parent / carer who has attended the Club?
It is the responsibility of the player, coach parent or carer to inform the team Covid lead of the positive test.
This MUST be done at the earliest opportunity (the Covid lead will have the relevant contact details should NHS Test and Trace deem that others have been subject to “close contact” and are required to be contacted and required to isolate)
The positive result will, in any event, be shared with the players, coaches, parents and carers within the players individual bubble (the positive test player’s personal details will remain anonymous in the first instance).
Those additional players will be required to isolate from Club activity for a period of 14 days irrespective whether they are contacted by NHS Test and Trace.
Furthermore, the result of a positive test within a secure bubble will also be shared with other site users who were on site at the relevant time (albeit within a different secure bubble) for any action they see fit.
It is not necessary for those players to isolate from Club activity unless they consider that they have been in close contact with a member of the affected bubble or there are individual circumstances that preclude attendance.
On being made aware of a positive test, the team Covid-19 Lead must inform the club Covid-19 Lead (James Forbes) of the positive test for any further action deemed necessary.
Options available include:
The full or partial closure of the site to allow a full deep clean to take place:
Restricted access to areas of the site deemed subject of potential contamination to allow for deep clean;
Restricted use of equipment deemed subject of potential contamination to allow for deep clean.

Is there anything else we need to know?
Novocastrians RFC is fully committed to the return to rugby to allow players to return to the club in a safe and controlled manner. The Club have put a number of measures in place to mitigate against the risk of Covid-19, however it must be accepted the risks associated with Covid-19 cannot be fully eliminated.

We are also welcoming of any assistance or views that will make the site as safe as possible as we return along the road to rugby.

Feel free to contact your team Covid Lead or any member of the Executive Committee.

Issued on behalf of the Executive Committee of Novocastrians RFC September 2020