Summer rugby plan for clubs floated by SRU chief Mark Dodson

SRU chief Mark Dodson is pushing for grassroots rugby to restart in the summer and believes the future of the game at that level may lie in playing in warmer weather.

Scottish winters aren't always conducive to rugby. Picture: Gary Hutchison/SNS

The sport in Scotland has been suspended below the professional tier since the coronavirus outbreak in March last year.

Dodson is keen to get games up and running as soon as it is safe to do so and does not want to be constricted by the traditional Scottish rugby season.

“We want to get all rugby started as soon as we possibly can, and we have to think about the summer in that context,” he said. “If we can get people playing and training, get Super6 restarted, then those are things we’ll certainly look at.

“The issue for us is doing it safely. What’s served us well is the fact we’ve had a very clear plan and it’s worked to date.”

Dodson believes the vagaries of the Scottish climate make it sensible to consider summer rugby in the longer term but says it will be up the clubs.

“The clubs decide when they want to play. But for me, summer rugby in a country like Scotland has to have some merit. If you think about what we face in December, January and February, it’s not the easiest game to continue through.

“I don’t think it’s something we should necessarily be prescriptive about. If playing between August and April works or if you want to turn the season on its head and play through the summer, I have no problem with that at all.”

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