The Breakdown | Quarantine questions put European rugby schedules on razor's edge


If governments are not aligned then the Champions and Challenge Cups risk being cancelled

The Pro14 resumes this weekend with a series of derbies that will not involve cross-border travel before the play-offs on the first two weekends of September. Whether it can be played to a conclusion will hinge on who makes it through and, if matches involve teams from different countries, whether government restrictions would involve the away team having to quarantine.

That would mean game over and it is a problem the organisers of the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup are grappling with one month before the knockout stages of the tournaments are scheduled to be played. Three countries are involved, the UK, France and Ireland as well as three devolved governments, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales: teams from all four of the home unions are on the road in the knockout stages.

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