Rugby

Tournament organisers hopeful travel restrictions will not affect cross-border games

Pro 14, Champions Cup and Six Nations finales would all involve cross-border encounters

Ireland are set to face Italy in the rearranged Six Nations game at the Aviva Stadium on October 24th. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

Gerry Thornley's face
Gerry Thornley
Thu Jul 23 2020 - 06:00

Although Britain and France have not been included in the Government's green list for travel, the respective unions and tournament organisers remain hopeful that this will not affect the completion of the Pro14, Champions Cup and Six Nations from the end of August through to the end of October.

All three competitions were left unfinished due to the postponements brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, and as things stand people travelling into Ireland from those countries not on the green list are required to undergo quarantine for 14 days.

On Wednesday, the Pro 14 organisers confirmed the revised finale to the 2019-20 tournament, which resumes with two weeks of derbies in Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Italy. The playoffs will almost certainly see some element of cross-border travel in the shape of at least one semi-final involving Edinburgh and an Irish province.

Furthermore, the Champions Cup quarter-finals have been rescheduled for September 19th and 20th, with Leinster hosting Saracens at the Aviva Stadium on the Saturday and Ulster away to Toulouse on the Sunday.

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The World Rugby council are also expected to confirm the expanded end-of-year Test window next Thursday, which is liable to rescheduled Ireland’s games at home to Italy and away to France pencilled in for October 24th and 31st. A statement from World Rugby on Wednesday confirmed that the governing body’s executive committee has recommended a revised end-of-year calendar window.

Ultimately, the respective unions and federations, and tournament organisers, will request dispensation regarding government isolation or quarantine guidelines for professional sport.

With so much hinging on these games going ahead, the IRFU and Scottish union, for example, have been in constant dialogue with their respective governments to assure them that all the respective health guidelines and return-to-play protocols are being assiduously observed along with regular testing.

For example, the Edinburgh-Glasgow game is going to be a test event for Scottish sport and other outdoor public gatherings, and will allow for the attendance of 500 supporters.

As squads of professional sports people, the players and staff in the four Irish provinces and Britain have already been operating within these guidelines for much of the last month and will continue to be up until the Pro 14’s scheduled resumption on August 22nd.

Furthermore, unlike the vast majority of people travelling between countries, squads from Edinburgh or Saracens for example, could even be flown in by charter flights and be moved between airport, hotel and the Aviva Stadium in their own corridor or ‘bubble’.

The IRFU, SRU and RFU can provide a significant amount of insurances to the Irish and British governments about the movement of sports teams. It’s also incumbent upon them to make sure these initial cross-border games proceed with safe travel of teams and also that all others working in the stadium are safe. If not, it that would put other games in jeopardy, such as rearranged Six Nations games, which all the unions and federations need to take place.

As it is, the Irish Government has already pledged a fund of €40 million to the three main sporting bodies in Ireland, and completion of these rearranged finales to the 2019-20 are a financial lifeline.