Biggar Rugby Club gearing up for October 31 regionalised return

The SRU has announced Saturday, October 31 as its planned return date, with the Tennent’s Premiership, National League Division 1 and National League Division 2 with National League Division 3 teams split across two competitions culminating in three finals at BT Murrayfield.

Provisionally, Biggar Rugby Club – last season’s Division 1 champions – are being included in a West Coast Conference along with Premiership sides Marr and Glasgow Hawks, plus fellow National 1 sides Ayr, GHA and Cartha Queens Park with each side playing the others twice.

There would then be a semi regionalised pool competition with just National 1 sides, prior to a knockout tournament featuring the top two sides in each pool going through to quarter-finals and semi-finals before a Murrayfield final. The other participating conferences would be from the Borders, Edinburgh and North regions.

Biggar Rugby Club secretary Mike Veitch told the Carluke and Lanark Gazette: “It’s encouraging that we’re going to get back to rugby.

“We’re very excited by the prospect. It’s been a long time and the team were getting nervous that they were not going to get a game this year.

“It’s been good we’ve had this announced now even though there is nothing set in stone.

“You can’t blame the SRU for that. It’s the way the government are playing it and probably rightly so.

“Depending on what the government decides, it’s looking like an October 31 return.

“How many spectators we can get in, we don’t know that yet.

“Our plans are to get the games live streamed onto YouTube, basically to give the fans something to watch and to give us the chance to get some sponsors.”

Scottish Rugby’s six stage roadmap for clubs and schools has been aligned to the Scottish Government’s own phased exit from lockdown and in line with recommendations from World Rugby. Stage 6 of Scottish Rugby’s roadmap outlines when competitive rugby may return safely.

The Scottish Rugby Board has suspended its national and regional competitions for one season, instead authorising the separate series of competitions designed to support teams returning to play against neighbours, local rivals or smaller clusters of teams.

The Women’s Tennent’s Premiership and Women’s National League Division 1 teams will participate in a single competition, which will also culminate in two finals at BT Murrayfield.