Eastern Counties Rugby Union

ECRU is aware that a number of clubs have expressed concern about the practicality of starting the forthcoming league season as scheduled on 3 September due to the current state of pitches with hard ground making many unplayable and preventing pre-season matches from taking place.

The national position was set out in an RFU statement that was issued on Tuesday 10 August and can be found on the RFU London website HERE.

Eastern Counties will be monitoring conditions over the coming weeks and will update clubs accordingly. For the most part the locally regulated leagues - Eastern Counties 1 and below - are scheduled to start later but any decision on rescheduling will also be communicated to clubs when it is made.

In the meantime, clubs are advised to carry out their own assessment of pitch conditions for any scheduled pre-season matches and to adjust their plans if necessary.