Alex Sanderson warns Sale players against risk of not getting vaccinated, saying jobs may be on the line

Alex Sanderson, the Sale Sharks director of rugby, has warned his players that their selection and even “future employment” could be compromised if they refuse to vaccinate themselves fully against Covid-19.

On Monday, ahead of this weekend’s opening round of Premiership fixtures, it was confirmed that clubs would be rewarded with the loosening of some Covid restrictions when 85 per cent of their players and staff had been fully vaccinated.

At that threshold, masks will no longer be compulsory in most scenarios and social-distancing – another measure that has been in place for over a year as part of the competition’s minimum-standards criteria – will cease to be necessary.

Sanderson said Sale, who host Bath on Saturday, are close to the 85 per cent marker and “all we’ve got to do is follow up with a number of people for their second jab”.

But he has also made sure that the squad have been informed of all the potential consequences should they opt against vaccination, some of which are stark.

“To start with, we’ve tried to educate them as best we can,” he said. “Our doctor has sent numerous emails regarding rumours surrounding negative effects and the positives of having the vaccine. These are doctors. They are ethically-bound to give the correct information.

“Still, it is a choice. But the consequences of them not having it are not being able to travel, not being able to play in every arena if vaccine passports come in. Even though they’ve got rid of that [idea], it might come back in. You never know.

“The knock-on effect of that is that it could be detrimental to selection and therefore future employment. That’s the reality. We haven’t sugar-coated it. We’ve been brutally honest.

“If your stance on it is that strong, we will respect it but that’s a discussion that we will have down the line depending on the consequences of [players] not taking it. We’ve left it to them, given them all the information and said: ‘It’s your choice’.”

Meanwhile, Gloucester head coach George Skivington said his club are aiming for a full house of vaccinations, and he expects restrictions to be lifted within days.

“Every single staff member and player has had their first vaccination at least,” he said. “We’ll be 85 per cent next week, and then 100 per cent within a couple of weeks. The boys, to be fair to them, it’s all their decision. They have all bought into it and as a group decided they want to be as safe as possible.”

Leicester Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick said his squad’s vaccination rate is “very high”, while Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper said his club are “striving to get there”.

“We’re close to [85 per cent],” he added. “Obviously there are a number of factors which affect how quickly you can get there, one being the age of the squad – the younger the squad are, the later they could get their first vaccinations. And obviously Covid infections is another thing, because if you’ve been infected you can’t get another vaccination for 28 days.”

London Irish director of rugby Declan Kidney said vaccination was a “personal thing” but described the possible lifting of restrictions as heartening news. “Anything like that which shows a way out from behind the curtain is a positive step,” he said. “Like everything else, there’s going to be a bit of pain and time before we actually get there, but at least now we have a pathway.”

Premiership clubs to be forced to maintain social distancing unless 85 per cent of players are vaccinated

By Charlie Morgan

Premiership Rugby clubs have been told that unless 85 per cent of their players and management are vaccinated against Covid-19 they will be forced to maintain social distancing measures this season, despite the removal of restrictions across the UK.

English rugby union’s Professional Game Board (PGB) have announced that clubs across the men’s top tier, as well as the second-tier Championship and the women’s Premier 15s competition, will be incentivised to make players and staff fully-vaccinated.

Clubs have been operating under strict minimum standards criteria (MOS), including the compulsory wearing of masks indoors and in some outdoor situations, since Premiership clubs returned to training in the summer of 2020 ahead of the league’s resumption following the first nationwide lockdown.

However, a press release from the Rugby Football Union on Monday confirmed that some regulations will be relaxed as of this week should the players and staff of the club in question reach the agreed threshold of full vaccination. This will be defined as an individual being two weeks beyond their last dose of a Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved vaccine.

In the event that two clubs face one another in a fixture where one club has reached the 85 per cent threshold and one has not, the new regulations will only apply to the club that have reached the 85 per cent threshold.

PGB chair Chris Booy explained that the move amounted to a “strong encouragement” of vaccinations so that clubs “can proactively contribute as much as possible to the safety of our wider communities”.

“The health and safety of everyone involved in the elite game is our priority and we know it is vital we ensure the vast majority of players and management are fully vaccinated as soon as possible,” he said.

“It is still a personal choice as to whether you receive a vaccination, but we want to strongly encourage as many players and staff as possible to be vaccinated so that we can proactively contribute as much as possible to the safety of our wider communities and of our players, staff and supporters.

“Whilst we hope that there will be no need to reverse any of these proposed changes, the PGB will continue to review all MOS in line with Government advice.”

Current testing protocols, which stand at a minimum of two lateral flow tests per week, will not change and masks will still be worn by players and staff in designated medical rooms.

Back in February of this year, England centre Jonathan Joseph and then-Bath teammate Elliott Stooke, as well as Wasps hooker Gabriel Oghre, received bans from the RFU for breaching Covid-19 protocols.

Stooke and Oghre had travelled to Joseph’s house and stayed there for several hours. They all appealed the decision, arguing that the punishment was excessive, but were not successful.

Henry Slade, another England international, has voiced his skepticism of the vaccination process, telling Telegraph Sport that he would not be having it in an exclusive interview in May.