Pro14 target resumption in late August as league reduced

Organisers cut regular season from 21 games to 15 with final planned for September 12th

The Pro14 season will have an abbreviated finish consisting of two rounds of derby games counting towards final positions. Photograph: Inpho
The Pro14 season will have an abbreviated finish consisting of two rounds of derby games counting towards final positions. Photograph: Inpho

European rugby is set to resume on August 22nd after Pro14 chiefs set the date as a provisional target to return to competition.

The Pro14 was suspended in March due to the onset of coronavirus and proposals have been sent to the respective governments of the UK, Ireland, Italy and South Africa.

The tournament will have an abbreviated finish consisting of two rounds of derby games counting towards final positions, two semi-finals on September 5th and the final on September 12th.

Pro14 tournament director David Jordan said: “Safety has been, and will continue to be, the highest priority as we look to activate our plans to restart the 2019-20 season.

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“We are very fortunate to be in a position where everyone involved is confident that we can conclude the season on the field of play.”

As reported by The Irish Times, the conference tables as they stood in mid-March after 13 rounds will be the cut-off point for European qualification. The two postponed games from round 13, Benetton v Ulster and Zebre v Ospreys, will be declared 0-0 draws, with two points awarded to each side.

Earlier this week, Premiership Rugby set a provisional return date of August 15th for domestic competition.

The Premiership plans to see out the full quota of remaining fixtures, culminating in a grand final which will not be staged until November.