DAVID SOLE

Scotland’s final match of the 2020 Six Nations Championship against Wales could be played in October – at Twickenham.

It has been reported that the Welsh Rugby Union are close to reaching agreement with the RFU to host “home” games at Twickenham in the autumn because the Welsh Government is unlikely to permit large gatherings in enclosed spaces by October.

Hence, this quirk of devolution has forced the Welsh to seek an alternative venue for the first time since 1999, when the Millennium Stadium was under construction.

With social distancing in England more relaxed than elsewhere, Twickenham could possibly accommodate up to 40,000 Welsh fans, who would find the venue relatively accessible along the M4 corridor.

Of course, the arrangement will also benefit the RFU, who are themselves facing a huge hole in their revenue as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the report, the first of four games that the Welsh would play would be the game against Scotland that was postponed at the last minute on March 14.

While Gregor Townsend and his team will, I am sure, be eager to get back to playing rugby, Twickenham is not a happy hunting ground for Scotland.

Their record there is pretty poor against England, with the last victory back in 1983.

Even as a “neutral” venue, the results have not gone Scotland’s way.

Who can possibly forget the 2015 World Cup quarter-final match against Australia, when a penalty was awarded and converted in the dying moments of the game to secure Australia’s place in the semi-final against Argentina.

It was a moment that many will rue, even Craig Joubert, the unfortunate referee that day.

Should it go ahead, it will be part of a “festival of rugby”, shared with England, and with other teams invited to participate, such as Japan and Fiji – the teams from the southern hemisphere prevented from travelling to the UK for their set of matches in the autumn.

The tournament, which has still to be sanctioned by World Rugby, is driven by the financial needs of the game more than anything else.

Should it go ahead, it will ease some of the pressure on the Welsh RU and the RFU. But is unlikely to help Scotland much.

The SRU is in a desperate financial position too, and needs the autumn internationals to be allowed to go ahead, even with a reduced capacity at Murrayfield. Ticket and TV rights revenue are urgently required.

But if the quirks of devolution play out in Scotland – as they have done in Wales – and a conservative approach is taken, the autumn internationals at Murrayfield would still be in doubt.

That would be a great shame.

Even as a ‘neutral’ venue, results haven’t gone Scotland’s way