Eketahuna club rugby is back

Eketahuna rugby players at practice on Thursday night.

With the announcement New Zealand has headed into Covid-19 alert level 1, teams took to the fields to begin contact training in preparation for a return to the start of club rugby competition.

The Eketahuna Rugby Club had done all the return to practice protocols of signage and spraying, so were relieved that things will now be more relaxed and easier to manage on the side-and in the clubrooms.

The club has come out of lockdown in a good place due to the support of sponsors.

Club secretary Bridgette Udy said all the sponsors have delivered on their promise of goods, cash or kind and this has seen the club through a tough time but, as she pointed out, so are the businesses/sponsors, so support them by buying local.

The first game for the Premiers is on Saturday, June 20, at the Eketahuna domain at 2pm versus Pioneer in a warm-up encounter. This will be followed up by Gladstone at Eketahuna on July 4, which will double as Sponsors Day.

The reserves will also be playing that day but it is not known where or against who yet.

The Premiers competition is one round of seven games, followed by semifinals and hopefully a final on August 29.

The reserves play one round, five games, in the north area, followed by match-ups against the corresponding south area seeded team with finals on August 22.

A short, sharp season in an unusual circumstance, so come along and cheer yourself hoarse and then socialise with those you may not have seen for some time.