The IRFU are in ongoing correspondence with Sport Ireland and the Return To Sport Expert Group about a number of areas of concern to clubs. These include use of facilities such as dressing rooms and which teams fall under the exemptions outlined in the newly published document - Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19.

Tuesday’s announcement did provide instruction on the admission of spectators to sporting events in Level 2.

These state:

•             "Up to 100 patrons/spectators outdoors and 50 patrons/spectators indoors”

•             “Up to 200 for outdoor stadia or other fixed outdoor venues with a minimum accredited capacity of 5,000"

The IRFU has reminded clubs that government guidelines supersede all IRFU guidelines and as such, these measures are currently in effect and apply to rugby matches.

In Dublin, "the number of people who can attend sports matches and events is capped at 100, irrespective of venue size."

For clarity on "accredited capacity," the IRFU advise clubs seeking to host up to 200 spectators to have a minimum accredited safe holding capacity of 5,000 calculated in accordance with the Code of Practise for Safety At Sports Grounds.

The above measures only apply to clubs under the jurisdiction of the Government of Ireland.

For clubs under the jurisdiction of the Northern Ireland Executive, outdoor gatherings of over 15 people are permitted if the has carried out a risk assessment which meets the requirement of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 and take all reasonable measures to limit the risk of transmission of the coronavirus.

The Department for Communities have provided a resource on the Safe Return of Limited Spectators To Outdoor Sports Events During The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak.

Updates to public health measures are a live issue at present and we will look to be in touch as soon as possible with any other clarifications as we receive them.