Season over

13.1.3 In the event that the committee feels that it is in the interests of Rugby Union Football or an RFU Competition, it may amend or vary RFU Regulation 13 and the Appendices and/or make further regulations during a Season:

(a) where in the view of the Committee exceptional and material circumstances have occurred during any RFU Competition which either have not been provided for or cannot be equitably dealt with under RFU Regulation 13 (particularly if promotion or relegation is likely to be materially affected), the Committee may at its own instigation introduce regulations for the current Season and/or determine the results of matches that have not been played for reasons related to the above exceptional and material circumstances and/or determine which Clubs should or should not be relegated);

(b) any regulation or decision made or taken by the Committee under this Regulation 13.1.3 shall become final and binding unless any person or Club affected has given notice of an appeal to the RFU Head of Discipline within 48 hours of that person or Club affected being made aware of it and an Appeal Panel rules that the regulation or decision of the Committee shall not apply.

Would you not agree that these are exceptional circumstances? Let me be clear if we had finished the season, i.e. after 30 games, in the bottom 3 then we go down and I don’t believe one Roth fan would complain. In fact the lower league, being more local, would save money and create bigger crowds, but that is not in any way an official view, simply another opinion. We were 13 points behind Moseley only recently. We are now only 4 points behind with 5 games to go. It is by no means cut and dried,but neither is the situation at the top of Division 2 South. There isn’t a single team running away with it in the same way as say, Hartpury, a while back and Rams last season, and the 25-0 performance by Caldy in N2 North this year. 

No one is assured of a top placed or second placed finish in N2S and as you know there would then need to be a play off. However, neither North or South can say with certainty who at this point who the second team will be, in the same way that you cannot say with certainty that we would be relegated. Also there can be no play off so there cannot be a winner.

They could freeze the leagues and do as you say, and I accept the terminology in section 13 of the rules, they could even erase the results but I believe the RFU will look at this in a special light. This situation has never arisen before so if this is not a special case I move to suggest that the above clause would never be applied.

Finally, I have shared much debate on this forum in the past, and with all the recent heartbreaking events around the world, and the fear of what havoc this awful virus can still reap, many would ask what I am doing on a Rugby forum debating trivial issues. It is just a game. 

Well it is just a game but sport to me, is much more than that and it (and particularly Rotherham Rugby) have given me some of the most wonderful times and memories. Fantastic players and people. Whatever happens the memories of those wonderful years will never leave me.

So to all the Rugby World, supporters, players, officials and all connected with the game, stay safe and hopefully we will all come through it at the other end and look forward to resumption of old rivalries in the not too distant future.