THERE will be no return for scrums until after the 2021 domestic rugby league season.

The decision has been made by the RFL's Laws Committee in the interest of player health and wellbeing and competition integrity, with the governing body judging it to be too late in the season to change rules.

However, the RFL are committed to having scrums, which remain in the international laws of the game, return to the domestic game in 2022.

Medical and scientific evidence regarding protracted close contact were key when the initial decision was made to suspend scrums from the restart of the 2020 season and there remains a high prevalence of Covid-19 infection rates in the wider community, with rugby league continuing to experience frequent infections among players and club staff.

Although government regulations around close contacts and isolations were eased from Monday, this easing of restrictions applies only to those who are fully vaccinated.

Whilst a growing number of rugby league players have had at least one vaccination jab, the point at which vaccination within the game reaches the critical mass necessary to prevent close contacts remains some way off.