Howe will work to keep game ticking over

Scottish Rugby announced this week that a tentative start date of January for a new season beginning would be scrapped for safety reasons.

The governing body pointed to on-going uncertainty over coronavirus restrictions as the reason behind its decision.

Now no competitive club or school rugby will be played until spring 2021 at the earliest.

But the Howe remain determined to ensure the sport doesn’t go into cold storage over winter.

President Gordon Douglas said the doors would remain open at Duffus Park.

“It’s disappointing but we’re still training and adapting sessions to keep players interested in the game,” he said.

“I think it’s very frustrating for the youth groups who can all attend school together and play football yet cannot play a game of rugby.

“We hope that the SRU can agree with the Scottish Government to allow games in the coming months even if it’s an abbreviated form to provide some sort of rugby.”

Scottish Rugby’s decision came after it supported a Scottish Rugby Council recommendation to close 2020/21 competitive fixtures at all levels.

With the current public health guidelines, full contact training and non-competitive (friendly) matches cannot be resumed leaving players unable to properly prepare.