Six Nations delay not a big issue, says Davies

WELSH Rugby Union chairman Gareth Davies says moving the start date of the 2021 Six Nations would not be a big issue.

Davies (above) has been involved in a week of talks with Six Nations chiefs over plotting the way ahead for the blue riband tournament.

The shutdown of sport due to the coronavirus pandemic has seen the 2020 Six Nations competition left in limbo with four matches still to be played, including the Wales v Scotland clash at the Principality Stadium.

It was initially envisaged those games could be completed in late October, but doubts have been cast in the meantime whether the competition will get a satisfactory outcome due to the coronavirus shutdown of sport.

Alongside this, World Rugby are considering different options to try to create a global season which would align the game in the northern and southern hemispheres.

Davies says delaying the Six Nations, which normally starts in February, by one month would be a compromise if it brought harmony to the game.

“If moving the Six Nations helps bringing the jigsaw together and everyone would have to make compromises ,I don’t think that’s a big issue at all,” Davies told the BBC.

“March-April wouldn’t be that much of an issue really if it enables harmony in moving forward.”

Davies added on the WRU website: “I’ve been involved in various Six Nations operations meetings over the past week, where we talk to representatives from each of the Unions to evaluate last season and look into what we may review for the year ahead.

“Obviously, in the current climate, these meetings have an extra dimension, but I mention them here because they have given me the feeling that, when the time comes, rugby will be ready, willing and able to return as quickly as safety precautions dictate.”