Barr calls on teams to get behind league structure

SCOTTISH Rugby Union President Ian Barr has urged clubs to get behind the regionalised league and season structure which has been introduced for the Scottish domestic game during 2020- 21 to try to minimise the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The top two flights of the club game – the Premiership and National League One – have been lumped together for the first part of the season and then split into four regional conferences.

The format is pretty confusing, and goes against the wishes of the majority of the clubs in the top flight Premiership who had hoped to keep their league as a distinct brand at the pinnacle of the club game, but Barr believes that the solution which has been implemented provides consistency across all competitions and offers the best means of providing teams with meaningful games without risking public safety through unnecessary extra travel.

“I am really pleased clubs can now see what the season ahead looks like and they can begin planning and looking forward to playing competitive matches again,” said Barr. “I know a huge amount of work has gone into getting us to this point and I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to what was a complex and challenging process.

“Our hope is that teams can play as much rugby as possible in the circumstances and we encourage them to take a common- sense approach to fulfilling fixtures and ensuring the sport can resume safely, at every level. I would also like to extend my thanks to Tennent’s and Mitsubishi Motors for their continued invaluable support.”