Otley announced that its away match against Hull Ionians has been rescheduled after a number of players were required to isolate.

This was after an outbreak of “scrum pox”.

A statement published by the club said: “The away match against Hull Ionians at the weekend (October 17/18) has been postponed to November 28 due to an outbreak of the highly contagious skin infection, scrum pox (similar to a cold sore outbreak), at Otley, requiring isolation to avoid a public health issue – players’ welfare being our primary concern.”

Supporters surprised by return of little-known condition

The announcement prompted a wave of reaction online, with many fans saying they had not heard of scrum pox for decades.

Despite its unfamiliar name, the condition has a long history within rugby and has been associated with close contact between players during scrums.

The infection is most commonly linked to forwards and front-row players, whose frequent face-to-face contact can increase the risk of transmission.

What exactly is scrum pox?

According to a 1979 study published in the British Medical Journal, scrum pox is a herpes simplex virus infection spread through close physical contact during rugby matches.

Researchers found the condition was often mistaken for impetigo and noted that outbreaks were most commonly associated with forwards involved in scrums.

The study concluded that isolating infected players was important to prevent transmission and reduce the risk of wider outbreaks within squads.

Club moved quickly to isolate affected players

Speaking to the Telegraph & Argus, Otley RUFC press officer Nick Doyle said the decision to postpone the match was made to allow affected players time to isolate.

“We’ve obviously postponed the match, so we could isolate the players,” he said.

He stressed that the outbreak was limited to players and was not something local residents needed to be concerned about.

‘It’s a front row issue’

Mr Doyle said he was not aware of any players requiring serious medical treatment.

He said: “As far as I’m aware, it’s just a case of isolation… It’s a front row issue more than anything, I think.”

The club first became aware of the outbreak last week, according to Mr Doyle.

He added that he had not been given details about how the infection had originated and could not comment on whether it had been passed between players during training or matches.