Dubbo lockdown forces changes to Central West Rugby Union finals

On Wednesday morning it was announced that after two residents had tested positive to COVID-19, the Dubbo local government area would go into a one-week lockdown from 1pm.

Given Dubbo teams are involved in the Blowes Cup, Ferguson Cup and New Holland Cup competitions run by Central West Rugby Union, five semi-finals and a grand final initially slated to take place this weekend were impacted.

It forced CWRU officials to alter plans.

"What we are looking at now is the New Holland Cup grand final has been pushed back one week," CWRU chief executive officer Matt Tink said.

"For Blowes Cup, we've changed the finals format. So, in all grades, first place will play fourth on the 21st of August and second will play third the next day."

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For CSU's first XV, which was to play Parkes in the New Holland Cup grand final on Saturday at Pioneer Oval, it means waiting at least one more week.

"There isn't much we can do, I guess we'll just continue training and hopefully we can start the week after," CSU coach Dave Conyers said.

"It's a bloody hard call but they've got to think of the health of everyone. I've never had a grand final postponed before ...it's very extraordinary."

For Bathurst Bulldogs the change means the first VX, who had qualified for the Blowes Cup finals in third place, will miss out on hosting a minor semi-final at Ashwood Park against Forbes this Sunday.

They will still have a sudden-death fixture, but now it will be a week later against defending premiers Orange Emus in Orange.

Bulldogs' second grade outfit will face Dubbo Roos, while the third XV will now line-up against minor premiers Orange Emus. They will also be away games after they had initially prepared to play on home turf this Sunday.

The Bathurst Bulldogs women lose the second chance they'd initially earned as Ferguson Cup minor premiers. Instead of playing Dubbo Kangaroos in a major semi-final, they will now fight Forbes for a spot in the decider.

"It just gives us another week of training, there's nothing you can do about it so there's no point stressing I guess, what can you do?," Bulldogs skipper Mardi Watts said.

"It would have been good to have a hit out against Dubbo, that standard of team, before the grand final but anyway we'll just wait for the grand final."

There has also been more planning should the lockdown need to be extended any further, but Tink is hoping that there is not any further disruption.

"If the lockdown is extended, on the 28th of August we will play grand finals in Blowes Cup and that will be first against second in all grades in Cowra," Tink said.

"It's very disappointing to miss out on this weekend in what would have been some massive days with Saturday at Parkes and Cowra as well as Sunday at Bulldogs, [they] were going to be great days for the spectacle of rugby."

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