Women's game given go-ahead to move to stage two of rugby restart roadmap

The 10 Premier 15s clubs and England Red Roses have been given permission to move to stage two of the elite sport framework as the elite women's game moves closer to a return.

Full contact training can resume although there will be several measures in place to reduce face-to-face contact. 

England's women will return to action in October as they look to complete their Six Nations campaign against Italy. No date has yet been set for the start of the new Premier 15s season.

Last season was annulled when the coronavirus crisis caused the cancellation of all rugby except the men's Premiership back in March.

Stage two will effectively act as a framework for pre-season and clubs will be closely monitored before being allowed to move to stage three.

The RFU’s Head of Women’s Performance Nicky Ponsford said: “Our high-performance teams are delighted to be moving to stage two training. Through adapting our approach to training regimes, we are pleased to get our players back training in a way that is safe to do so.  We will continue to work with government and Public Health England on our return to stage three protocols.”