BLACKBURN coach Dino Radice says now is the time for the rugby family to stick together but admits more has to be done to help grassroots clubs.

The RFU, just like every other sporting governing body, made the move to suspend all matches and training until April 14 at the earliest due to the coronavirus outbreak.

While Radice totally understands the move, he says he fears what the long-term affects could be on amateur rugby clubs should that ban extend to months rather than weeks.

“These are worrying times,” said Radice. “Of course I fully understand why the decision has been made because the health of everyone is the most important thing and it was the sensible thing to do.

“This is a time for the rugby family to stick together, help each other out and stick to the core values of our sport.”

But Radice fears there are wider issues to be considered after the government advised not to attend pubs and clubs but did not go as far as ordering them to shut down.

“At the moment we are being told the lads can’t train or play together but they can go in to the clubhouse and sit down and have a drink together,” he said. “We’re being advised not to go in to pubs and clubs but they are not forcing them to close down. If they are told to close then they can seek relevant compensation.

“But these places are staying open, being staffed without knowing if anyone will walk in through the door. It doesn’t make sense.”

While on-field inactivity will take its toll, off-field problems will hit clubs like Blackburn harder says Radice.

“If we don’t play or train for months, who is to say those players will come back to us or come back to the game,” he said. “And every club is in the same position.”

“The biggest concern is the money we are set to lose. We get between 300 and 400 at most of our games and they put a lot of money in to the club, that income has now gone.

“And every club relies on those 18th and 50th birthdays, the Christening parties. All that has gone.”

Radice says it has overshadowed what has been a superb season for the Ramsgreave Drive club with the Firsts, Seconds and Thirds all set for best ever seasons.

“This is our first season in North Premier, the highest level we have ever played at and we are on course for a top-six, or even higher finish,” he said. “Our other senior sides are having a great campaign as well but who is to say we will play again and if so, when do we fit the games in?”

On the field, Blackburn bounced back from last weekend’s last-gasp defeat to Sandal with a 26-5 win against Alnwick

Three first half converted tries set up the victory in what was a dominant display from Burn in the first period.

Blackburn scored their first try in the ninth minute when Scott Richardson hit a good line – after good work from Jacob McHugh – and while he was tackled by the last defender, he did enough to stretch and score by the posts.

Leon Fifield kicked the conversion.

Burn lost Josh Jarrold to the sin bin in the 16th minute but Alnwick could not take advantage and when the visitors suffered the loss of a front rower, the home side had the upper hand in the scrums for the rest of the match.

A second try arrived in the 28th minute when, after several phases, Corey Logan went over from close range. Fifield added the extrs.

On the stroke of half time, Burn scored again. After kicking to the corner from a penalty, the line out was won, they drove on, before Danny Maher peeled off and charged for the try line to score in the corner. Fifield again added the conversion to make 21-0 at the break.

Any hopes that Alnwick may have harboured of a comeback were extinguished just three minutes into the second half.

From a line out on the Alnwick 22, the ball was secured, Logan charged through and while he was brought down, the ball was recycled quickly and fed to Richardson who again hit another good line to slice through the defence to score. The conversion was missed but Burn still had a 26-0 lead.

Despite being four tries down, Alnwick didn’t stop battling and started to have more possession, however they couldn’t break the Burn defence and struggled to threaten points.

But with four minutes remaining they were rewarded when Hugh Dodd ran in from 30 metres out.