Edinburgh and Glasgow may face play-offs and a final in August or September to complete season
Guinness Pro14 chiefs are looking to resolve the season with play-offs and a final in late August/early September, according to reports.
The competition has been indefinitely suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic breakout in late February and planned final for Cardiff Arms Park in June was cancelled.
Both Scottish pro teams were in contention at the time of shutdown, with Edinburgh riding high at the top of Conference B and Glasgow Warriors third in Conference A.
Normally the post-season schedule since South African teams Cheetahs and Southern
Kings joined sides from Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Italy in 2017-18, would involve a quarter-final stage between the second and third-placed teams in each conference for the right to play the table toppers in a semi-final before the Grand Final.
On the day that Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon unveiled her devolved government’s “route map” out of lockdown, a Pro14 spokesman told The Scotsman that the timing of reports are accurate, if the trajectory of the virus continues on its current contained downward curve, but stressed that a full six-team play-off stage, behind closed doors most likely, may not be possible, which would be bad news for Glasgow.
Teams in the Pro14 still had eight or nine rounds of regular season fixtures to complete at the time of the suspension, but that is now a non-starter.
As things stood, Edinburgh, Munster and Scarlets were in the Conference B play-off spots. In Conference A it is unbeaten Leinster, Ulster and Glasgow, who will be under newheadcoachdannywilson when Dave Rennie departs for Australia at the end of June, in the top three.