Fylde RFC are planning for a New Year comeback

The Rugby Football Union has sanctioned clubs to stage friendlies from next weekend, but this is not yet feasible for Fylde with the Ansdell club still in coronavirus tier three and the players yet to resume training.

Instead, Spragg says the club will focus on a safe Christmas in the hope of resuming rugby activity in earnest in the New Year ready for the season to begin in February.

It is understood the one-off competition for National League One and Two clubs would see Fylde play home and away fixtures against Caldy, Chester, Sale FC and Sedgley Park in a regionalised pool.

The Fylde coach told The Gazette: “It had been our intention to restart training this week but the restrictions on movement between tier three areas meant only around half of our players would have been able to train.

“We can’t open the clubhouse for any friendlies yet anyway. It is frustrating but we don’t want to take any risks with Christmas coming up, so we took the decision to postpone and hope that we come out of tier three next week.

“We’ve spoken to Preston about trying to get home and away games on in January, provided we can get the clubs open.

“We like the sound of the competition starting in February. The pool of five makes sense geographically and provides us with some good-quality teams to play.

“We’re all desperate to play and it should provide a quality spectacle, but let’s get through Christmas safely first.”

How the competition will work beyond the regional pools is yet to be finalised, though the intention is for the groups to pave the way for a national knockout, leading to a Twickenham final in May.

The planned January start for the competition has been moved back a month in the hope more clubs will escape from the toughest Covid-19 restrictions.

The tournament will be played under full-contact rules but with restricted set-pieces: there will be lineouts but no scrums or mauls.

Spragg added: “It’s the sort of stuff players will enjoy as well as spectators. The front-rowers won’t miss out because the rules say you must have front-rowers on the field.”

n The Fylde Rugby Community Foundation holds its Christmas multi-sport camp at the Woodlands tomorrow.

The camp is designed for children aged five to 12 to learn rugby skills and enjoy multi-sport games, including rugby paintball and kick-tennis.

The charge is £15 per person for the day (10am-4pm) and full details are available at www.fylderugby.co.uk

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