Six Nations fixtures set for October
IRELAND have been handed a chance to secure the 2020 Six Nations title in October after World Rugby chiefs published a roadmap to recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The weekends of October 24 and October 31 have been set aside to reschedule the four championship games which were called off when the severity of the coronavirus crisis began to take effect in March.
Ireland’s meetings with Italy in Dublin followed by their final-round trip to Paris were postponed, as well as the meeting between Wales and Scotland in Cardiff and England’s final-round clash with the Azzurri in Rome.
Now, Andy Farrell’s squad — who still have an outside chance of landing the title — have been given the green light to take on Italy and Les Bleus on the final two weekends of October.
World Rugby have also paved the way for the mooted invitational series featuring the Six Nations teams and two other Test sides — believed to be Georgia and Fiji — to be played from November 14 to December 5.
The autumn internationals will be scrapped, with the southern hemisphere nations set to compete in the Rugby Championship — which will be staged in New Zealand — across the same period.
Ireland were scheduled to face South Africa, Australia and Japan this November, but those meetings are set to be postponed.
Meanwhile, in a further boost for Irish rugby, Pro14 chiefs have confirmed dates and kick-off times for the tournament’s reboot, which will begin with a set of interprovincial fixtures next month.
Leinster will host Munster at Aviva Stadium at 7.35pm on August 22 before the meeting of Connacht and Ulster at the same venue the following day at 4.30pm.
Ulster will face Leinster the following Saturday with Munster’s clash with Connacht set for August 30.