DAVID SOLE
Scotland will conclude their 2020
Six Nations campaign on October 31 against Wales, at a venue still to be determined – but not the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
World Rugby announced the schedule of autumn internationals during the week, although they have underestimated the number of weekends required to complete the women’s competition.
Other matches which were postponed this spring are due to be played on October 24.
But Scotland’s women have three matches to conclude – along with Italy – meaning that World Rugby seem to have ignored the women’s competition, which would be a grave oversight.
Following the two weekends of Six Nations rugby, there will be a rest weekend, before a tournament kicks off which includes Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, England, Italy, Fiji and Japan – a Six Nations-plus, if you like.
The teams have been split into two groups. Scotland will play Japan and France at Murrayfield, and travel to Rome to play Italy.
England will face Ireland and Fiji at Twickenham and Wales at a venue still to be decided – but not their usual venue in Cardiff.
The competition will conclude with a final weekend of matches on December 5, with each team playing the team in an equivalent place in the other group, at venues still to be decided.
It is clearly not going to be the same as a Six Nations, nor will it fill the very large hole in the governing bodies’ finances in the way that the autumn internationals do for each nation.
But it will at least provide a very welcome return to competitive sport.
The question remains, how many fans will be able to head to the various venues to watch these matches?
The First Minister announced that fans could be allowed into stadia with appropriate social distancing from September 14, with test events taking place to see how challenging logistically this is likely to be.
The SRU were very quick to offer up the “Inter-City derby” as a trial – presumably to see how Murrayfield would be able to cope with sociallydistanced fans at a game.
Even if fans are allowed back into stadia in a limited way, the increasing risks of flare-ups in the virus could well affect the on-going regulations about large gatherings.
Even if there are no unfolding localised problems, one wonders how much appetite fans will have to put themselves at risk in large gatherings?
What is encouraging is that there is another step towards a return to normality – albeit a different kind of normality.
Society needs sport. So even if these games are to be played behind closed doors, at least we have something to look forward to come the autumn.
The question is, how many fans will be allowed in the venues?