Canterbury are waiting to discover whether the new season will start on time.

The city club are back in training and ready to play, with three friendlies lined up in August before the scheduled National 2 South opener at Bury St Edmunds on September 4.

To get under way as planned, they’re hoping for good news from the government with regard to the full easing of Covid-19 restrictions.

That date has already been moved back from June 21 to July 19, so Canterbury are taking nothing for granted.

“I don’t really have a feeling on which way it’s going to go,” said Canterbury chairman Giles Hilton. “We’re waiting to see what’s going to happen, conscious of the fact Covid numbers are on the rise again.

“There’s a whole host of questions that need answering. No one, at this stage, knows the full extent of the questions or the answers.

“What happens if there’s an outbreak at your club? Do we stay with the adapted game that’s been introduced? If so, can that be classified as competition and can a league run off the back of it?

“It’s hard for the players because we’ve been back in training since the start of June but they’re not scrummaging at the moment, where no close contact is allowed, and you need your body to attune.

“We’re hoping on July 19 there will be positive news and a chance to get back to normal. We’ve done a huge amount of work as a club - we’re ready to go.”

As part of a league restructure, the RFU have announced there will be no relegation from National 2 South in 2021/22.

That takes the pressure off clubs, with Giles describing it as a “huge opportunity to bring youngsters through”.

However, that’s been tempered by the RFU’s decision to withdraw travel expenses, leaving Canterbury with a bill running into thousands.

Hilton said: “They’ve announced there will be no travel funding, except for Jersey, which is a fixed fee.

“The head of the community game is not in the greatest shape and that has a knock-on effect coming down. We’d normally expect financial assistance and, without it, that leaves us with an £8,000 cost to bear.

“The sooner the reorganisation comes in, and there’s less travelling, the better.”

Last season’s league programme was wiped out by the pandemic but, far from damaging players, Hilton believes it may have helped.

He said: “I actually think we may see an improvement in the standard because all we’ve been able to do is a lot of running and passing.

“So you may well see people having developed their handling skills and game positioning and lines to a greater extent than previously. If we get some decent weather, there’s a chance to get a running game going.”

Off the field, Canterbury have extended their patio area at Merton Lane and are in the “final throes” of building a fitness suite and weights room, alongside a pop-up restaurant.

Hilton said: “Between the two organisations - the gym and the pop-up restaurant - they will be employing a dozen local people, which is really good.”

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