Rugby: Dates for 2020 Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals confirmed
The Premiership has been scheduled to resume on the weekend of August 15, and the final might be held on October 10
European Cup authorities have confirmed the rearranged date for the 2020 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals.
The Champions Cup final would be held on Saturday, October 17, while the quarter-finals and semi-finals are set to be held in September.
On the other hand, the Challenge Cup final has been scheduled for October 16. The quarter-finals are planned to be conducted on the weekend of September 18-20 while the semi-finals are set to happen on the weekend of September 25-27.
Both the finals have been preliminarily scheduled to be organised in Marseille, France.
However, regarding the venue for the final, the European Professional Club Rugby said that the matter will eventually depend on travel restrictions and government guidance.
Also, it is understood that next season's tournaments would start on the weekend of December 11-13.
Back in April, the last-eight games were called off because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. As of now, Toulouse is due to host Ulster, Clermont Auvergne will face Racing 92, Exeter would take on Northampton, while Leinster will host Saracens.
Interestingly, Leinster and Saracens had met in the 2018-19 Champions Cup Final. Saracens won that match 20-10 in Newcastle to lift their third European title. However, they were later relegated from the Premiership after committing repeated salary cap breaches.
BBC reports that the Premiership would resume on the weekend of August 15, with nine rounds left to be completed before the semi-finals and the final. As of now, October 10 has been suggested as a potential date for the Premiership final.
It is also understood that so far, no date has been confirmed for the start of the 2020-21 RFU Championship. The governing bodies are looking forward to resolving a situation that involves the Saracens being a part of both the top flight and the second tie, simultaneously.
A spokesperson of RFU said, "The Professional Game Board is working together to develop a recommendation to address the potential overlap which could see Saracens being eligible to play in a restarted and extended Premiership Rugby Season at the same time as participating in the 20-21 Championship season."
It has been proposed that next season's Champions Cup could be expanded to 24 teams, which will feature eight teams from each of the Premiership, the French Top 14, and the Pro 14.
However, as of now, the structure of the 2020-21 campaign remains uncertain since the rugby bosses are figuring out a way to roll out a new global calendar.
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