Amateur rugby, like the rest of society, is caught in the Covid-19 trap.

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Jérôme Diesnis / Maxele Presse Agency

  • After the federal divisions this weekend, the amateur rugby players, managed by the regional leagues, must start their season in a week.

  • Before the GA scheduled for this Saturday, Alain Doucet, president of the Ligue Occitanie, explains how he is considering this return under the sign of the coronavirus.

  • If no general package is considered, postponements of matches will not be able to solve everything.

Little by little, despite the coronavirus epidemic, life is resuming in rugby.

This weekend, it is the turn of the federal divisions, led by the French Federation (FFR) to put on their crampons.

The territorial championships (Honor and below), managed by the regional leagues, will follow on September 20, under necessarily very specific conditions.

This Saturday, the Ligue Occitanie (LOR), the largest in France with “between 68,000 and 70,000 licensees [men, women and children combined]” claimed, will hold its general assembly in Lavelanet, in Ariège, eight days before the big jump.

"We are going to have regulatory provisions adopted during the GA so that there is no possible dispute, that they are brought and known by everyone," explains Alain Doucet, president of the LOR.

We are launching the season, we will adapt to health measures as we have already done.

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Alain Doucet is present on the list of Bernard Laporte, president of the FFR candidate for his re-election.

- Franck Fife / AFP

Things will get complicated very quickly, because the coronavirus is already playing the spoiler in a contact sport conducive to the spread of the disease.

In Top 14 or Pro D2, several amateur matches have already had to be postponed.

"We have a firm line of conduct, we know where we want to go", resumed the former candidate for the presidency of the FFR, in 2016, who is now on Bernard Laporte's list for the elections of October 3 .

“If the clubs can play, they play.

If they can't play, we postpone.

When there are no more deferral dates available, we will do equalization.

At the end of the season, if a club has played 17 games and another has played 14, we bring everyone back to the same number of games played.

The clubs have to accept what is going to happen.

Under exceptional conditions, exceptional payment for one year.

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There is therefore no question of sticking a general package to a club after three non-disputed matches, as recommended by the regulations designed for "normal times".

Meetings postponed for health reasons will be postponed after examination by the Covid commission of the LOR, which will assess whether a club's request is justified.

"For example, if I have a club which has found two positive cases, and which is awaiting the results for the other players, prudence requires that we postpone the match, details Alain Doucet.

The key word is adaptation.

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Plans B and C just in case

"There would be nothing more serious for sport than sport stops," asserts the boss of regional rugby in the former Midi-Pyrénées and Languedoc-Roussilon regions.

If the crisis worsens, in the event of a ministerial request, the FFR and the Ligue Occitanie are ready.

We have plan B: we start all over again in November, with far fewer withdrawal and rest dates, we even play on match days for the France team.

A plan C also exists: we do not start again until January, for the return phase only.

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For the moment, the Honorary players as of the fourth series have a date on September 20 on the fields.

“In terms of statistics, I am a happy president, everything is green.

If it weren't for this p ... of Covid.

“Because Alain Doucet assures him: while for years, rugby has seen its numbers plummet, the Occitan oval is raising its head.

"A huge influx of kids in rugby schools"

“On the cadets and juniors, we have 22 more teams than last year.

And between September 1, 2019 and September 1, 2020, we recorded 2,695 additional licenses.

There is a huge influx of kids in rugby schools everywhere, in all departments.

Only, the threat of the coronavirus hovers above this beautiful youthful enthusiasm.

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