Scotland could be playing by November, says McKay

SCOTLAND could be back playing at Murrayfield in November, according to SRU chief operating officer Dominic McKay.

The governing body have set out a road map in discussions with the Scottish Government in a bid to safely bring rugby out of the enforced lay-off brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

If things go according to plan, professional players from Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby will return to training later this month, with measures in place that will see them start running 17 metres apart and using outdoor gyms.

McKay, who is also a PRO14 board member, believes the club sides could then be back in action competitively by the end of August, starting with Scotland’s teams taking on each other.

McKay said: “What we’re targeting at the moment is potentially some PRO14 games, if things are right

– in terms of the various government advice and the phased approach – towards the end of August.

“That may move to September but that’s what we’re targeting at the moment.

“We need to have a target. Our plans need to be adaptable because things are constantly changing, but I can envisage a scenario where we’ve got games – perhaps inter-city derbies – taking place at BT Murrayfield, in our hub environment, at the back end of August.

“Then, we might see international rugby taking place again during November at BT Murrayfield. It’s really important that every step, from training to contact training to games behind closed doors, is constantly risk-assessed and constantly reviewed, and we improve.”