Enniskillen coach Stevie Welsh says that plans are underway for a new format for club rugby which would see groups of four teams play each other twice, guaranteeing six games for sides from March to the end of the season with hopes that a cup competition can also be played.

Skins played only two league games this season, the last of which was the October 3 loss to Clogher Valley, and under current restrictions clubs are not even allowed to train.

“They have come out and said that until February 6 there is no rugby and no training, and then they plan at the start of March to do localised pods,” explained Welsh.

“We’re led to believe that we will be in with Clogher, Portadown and Dromore in a pod who will play each other home and away and at least that is something for us to look forward to.

“It will be a tough pod because you have three of last season’s top four with ourselves, Clogher and Dromore and we enjoy going up the road for those games. It will be exciting if it comes off,” he added.

Welsh says that the aim is also to play a cup competition but the All Ireland Junior Cup is unlikely to go ahead.

“They are still looking at getting one cup competition played as well but I don’t know how they are going to do that but I would say that unfortunately our All Ireland Junior Cup will probably be binned which is a bit of a shame.

“It would be nice, though, with there being no league this year for anybody to get top four and qualify for All Ireland Junior Cup, for them to honour us next year and allow the teams that had qualified for it this year to play in it. I know that was a big target for the boys this year and we were actually meant to be playing in it last Saturday,” he said.

This time last year Skins were on a high after lifting the Junior Cup which followed on from a last gasp Christmas victory over Clogher.

“It was fantastic to get the result right at the end of that game and we had great craic in the bar after it. It is just totally different now where you are just looking forward to a wee makeshift league to try and give you a bit of hope.

“The club is more than rugby, there are people for whom it is their life, it is a way of meeting people and getting together and just have a bit of a social life as well as trying to get fit.

“The older members have a club as well who would meet up and tidy up and have a chat and a catch up so it leaves a big hole for everyone. Obviously, in the grand scheme of things we understand the reasons but it is leaving a void in peoples lives at the minute,” he commented.

If the games do get the go-ahead in March, Welsh feels that it will be a good way to introduce some of the young talent at the club into the first team with an eye on building towards the start of next season.

“If we do get these games in March we will be able to get game time for some of the good young players we have coming through as there will be less pressure in these than there would be normally with the quality of squad we now have.

“Hopefully we can get a bit if rugby and then build for next season,” he concluded.