GLASGOW Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby have welcomed the confirmation by PRO14 that, health and safety permitting, the competition will resume at the end of August.
The league announced yesterday [Thurs] that it plans to wrap up the regular season with two rounds of derbies in each country on 22 and 29 August, before progressing to a semi-final and final on the first two weekends of
September. Conference B leaders Edinburgh need only a point to reach the last four, but Glasgow, third in Conference A, have only a very slim chance.
However, both teams’ current positions are good enough for them to qualify for next season’s Champions Cup provided it goes ahead in or close to its familiar format.
“I think it’s good for everybody,” Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill said.
“It will be great to hopefully face off against Glasgow in what are always intense derby fixtures, and hopefully we’ll get some positive performances and results and perhaps down the line the club will be looking forward to a Guinness PRO14 semi-final.”
Warriors chief executive Nathan Bombrys suggested his team would have had a good chance of reaching the play-offs if a full regular season had been played, but nonetheless offered his backing for the organisers’ decision.
“The new abbreviated structure all but ends our chances for a place in the knock-out stages of the competition,” he said.
“With the squad we have and stellar rugby we play, I truly believe we were on track to qualify and have a deep run into the play-offs.
“However, with the coronavirus pandemic we accept the position that we are all in was of no one’s making.
“We support the PRO14’s decision to conclude the season and we look forward to the challenge of two more 1872 Cup games against our rivals from Edinburgh. We can still influence the Guinness PRO14 final series, if not for ourselves, then for others.”
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