“As you will know, World Rugby recently sanctioned temporary changes to the international test windows in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has stopped all professional and international rugby since March. Following this announcement, Scottish Rugby confirmed that the 2020/21 Autumn Test fixtures at BT Murrayfield would not be going ahead with the originally planned opponents, but that an exciting schedule of matches was being developed for a new temporarily extended Autumn Test window.

New Eight-Nations Tournament;
I can confirm that this year’s Autumn Tests will be replaced by a unique eight-team competition involving Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, France and Italy plus two other international teams. This alternative tournament format has been primarily driven by the pandemic-related travel restrictions and tournament organisers are working hard to finalise the match schedule, further details of which we expect to announce later in August.

Socially Distanced Crowds;
The Eight-Nations Tournament this autumn is the culmination of an enormous amount of work undertaken over the last few months to ensure rugby returns to BT Murrayfield this year. While it will be wonderful to have rugby back at the stadium, what everyone at Scottish Rugby wants is to welcome back supporters to BT Murrayfield to watch the games. We have been in regular dialogue with the Scottish Government since the start of the Covid-19 crisis and continue to work in collaboration with them to give us the best opportunity possible to welcome supporters back to BT Murrayfield this autumn. As part of our contingency planning we have developed several stadium configuration models based on varying social distance requirements and will be ready to deploy the most appropriate should the government’s social distancing guidelines allow as we approach the Autumn Test window.

Ticketing Strategy;
It is likely that demand will far outweigh availability for the new Autumn tournament and 2021 Six Nations. We are now reviewing all key stakeholder and supporter groups to understand how we best facilitate ticket purchasing for the season ahead. We must do this whilst at the same time ensuring we are in the best financial position to recover from the impact of Covid19.

We will of course continue to keep you fully updated on all aspects of the game being impacted by the Covid-19 crisis, including our ongoing discussions with the Scottish Government regarding the social distancing guidelines for mass events.

With best wishes to you and your family and thank you for your patience whilst we consider these next steps.

Dominic McKay
Chief Operating Officer
Scottish Rugby”