Scottish Rugby medical chief says closed-door matches not quick solution to resuming
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James Robson, Scottish Rugby's chief medical officer, says there has to be a "normalisation" of NHS services before matches can be played
Matches behind closed doors is not a quick way to resume rugby, according to Scottish Rugby's chief medical officer Dr James Robson.
Football and golf are exploring staging matches with no spectators as a bridge to returning to action.
But Robson says sport can only return once the NHS has fully recovered from the strain of the pandemic.
"Injury is going to occur with or without spectators," Robson told BBC Scotland.
"Behind closed doors doesn't make the game any safer, or any less safe, than with a crowd. We need those people that help us when we have a significant injury to be in a position to do that.
"Crucial to restarting any sport that might result in injury is the underlying principle that there is a normalisation of the NHS and the private health sector."
Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill said he would support televised matches behind closed doors if it got some much-needed revenue back into the game as national unions and clubs face a financial crisis the longer the shutdown continues.
Robson, whose experience includes six Rugby World Cups with Scotland and six British and Irish Lions tours, believes closed-door games will be a viable solution when the NHS is in a position to offer medical support for sporting events.
But in the clamour to get domestic and European competitions completed and lucrative international matches staged, Robson stresses that player welfare must remain at the forefront of all plans to get the game back up and running.
"That is paramount. Player welfare shouldn't change because of the coronavirus," he said.
"We've been making great strides over the years, perhaps not as far as some of us would like. In the discussions I've had with the powers that be, the administrators of the game, that is not lost on them."