Reprieve for High as season is scrapped

Scotland’s entire domestic rugby season for 2019-20 has been declared null and void, meaning there will be no automatic promotion and relegation from any club division – saving Dundee High from the drop, writes Steve Scott.

Scottish Rugby completed a consultation process last week with participating clubs and the championship and competition committees of the men’s and women’s games after the season was first suspended and then finally cancelled in the light of the coronavirus outbreak.

The stakeholders were given five options or scenarios to pick from to determine the outcome of the season, with around half the clubs favouring declaring the season null and void. The second most favoured option – finishing the season based on the league positions at the time of shutdown – received the support of around a quarter of clubs.

The chairmen of the three main competition committees therefore recommended the null and void option, supported by Scottish Rugby’s director of rugby development and the Scottish Rugby Council.

The council’s endorsement of the proposal was then ratified by the Scottish Rugby Board in its role to oversee the best interests of the game, with authority then granted to the championship committee to bring the recommendation into force.

The move follows similar decisions made by the SRU’s PRO14 partners in Ireland, Wales and Italy.

Most of the four senior national divisions were still some way short of completion, with only three clubs being materially affected by this decision – Biggar RFC, who had already mathematically achieved promotion from Tennent’s National League One, Dundee, who had been relegated from National One, and Carrick, who were set to be relegated from National Three.

If promotion and relegation had been determined from positions at the premature finish of the season, Perthshire RFC would also have been relegated from National Three, although they still had matches to play.

Scottish Rugby president Dee Bradbury said: “It was clear from the outset that there would be no ‘right’ solution.

“We fully accept some clubs will be disappointed with this decision and share their frustration that their hard work to push for success hasn’t yielded the rewards they deserve.”