PRO14 to stage Monday night fixtures for the first time

Guinness PRO14 will break new ground in the 2020/21 season by staging Monday night games for the first time, starting with the October 26 meeting in Limerick of Munster and Cardiff Blues. 

With the new campaign less than two weeks away, dates and times have been confirmed for the first eight weeks of action. In total, 14 Monday night fixtures will take place between rounds three and eight with scheduling aimed at preventing direct clashes with the extended international calendar. 

With the finale of the Guinness Six Nations and the Autumn Nations Cup taking place from October through to early December, the majority of Guinness PRO14 fixtures during this time will take place on Sundays and Mondays. Where possible, Monday night fixtures have been set across two time slots of 18:00 and 20:15.

Will rugby in the UK be able to survive another six months without fans at games?

Will rugby in the UK be able to survive another six months without fans at games?

Dominic McKay, chairman of PRO14 Rugby, said: “Thanks to the buy-in and support from our teams and broadcasters we believe we have delivered an innovative solution to the challenges posed to us by the international rugby calendar. Playing on Monday nights provides the Guinness PRO14 with a unique platform in the rugby market and enables us to make the most of playing through such a busy time for our sport.

“The task of assembling these fixtures in such a short space of time have been immense given the parameters involved and I’d like to thank Tournament Director David Jordan and his team for their tireless work to get us to this point.”

MONDAY. NIGHT. RUGBY. IS. COMING! ???

Full fixture list ?? https://t.co/EXirMytIkU #GuinnessPRO14 | #Fixtures2021 pic.twitter.com/B2HNHz1oPJ

— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) September 23, 2020

Martin Anayi, PRO14 CEO, added: “In a time of such uncertainty we are incredibly grateful to our broadcast partners and sponsors for their continued support.  No business has been unaffected by the pandemic, but the team spirit and willingness displayed by our broadcasters, our title sponsor Guinness and partners such as Gilbert and Macron has really encouraging. Sport is as important as it ever has been in society, our partners recognise that and are keen to play a vital role in keeping rugby front and centre.”

The new season will kick-off on Friday, October 2, with Parma hosting the first fixture as Cardiff travel to Zebre. This will be followed by Ulster’s home game with Benetton and defending champions Leinster will entertain Dragons in Dublin.

Round one concludes on Saturday, October 3, with Scarlets taking on Munster (live on Premier Sports & eir Sport), Connacht hosting Glasgow Warriors (live on TG4, eir Sport and Premier Sports) and Edinburgh facing off against Ospreys.

Statement comes 4?? days after Kings were liquidated https://t.co/RDbuTa0vzX

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 23, 2020