8 Nations 2020

[outcast eddie]

Autumn Tests to be replaced by eight-team tournament starting 14th November.

Love the idea of including Fiji and Japan.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/53552277

[Up Wexford]

Theres a lot to this article, but its BBC so must be accurate?

8 team tournament means 8 weekends - So basically international rugby every weekend from 14th Nov til Christmas. We have 2 rescheduled 6N games , so thats the first two weekends of Nov gone too. 19/20 HCup final is 19th Oct - So rounds 1-3 of 20/21 H Cup will be running in tandem with international rugby, and with PRO 14 at the bottom of the fixture pile then? Hook it to my veins, as the kids say

Also, Twickenham hoping to have 40,00 punters at November tests - have they just given up on Covid in the UK? Just fold the illness into regular life and hope the death rate stays low enough not to cause a fuss?

[neill_m]

6N wrapping up on Oct 24th and 31st. Ireland apparently in a group with England, Wales and Fiji. Games in Dublin v Wales and Fiji. Nov 14-28, finals day on Dec 5 1st in Group A v 1st in B etc. France, Scotland, Italy and Japan in B.

Heineken Cup 20/21 apparently starting Dec 12th. 24 side tournament etc.

Re crowds, read an article in the Times via twitter that sport stadia in England in October would be allowed max 33% crowd capacity if the situation allows it etc.

[Up Wexford]

Ah gotcha, Group games and final frees up weekends for H Cup, makes sense!

[MylesNaGapoleen]

that is a heck of a lot of international rugby this autumn. Both fiji and japan are tough tests on top of the English & Welsh.

Happy to hear rugby is coming back but won't most clubs lose their top players for almost 2 months (two 6N games in oct for us and then the 8N)?
...maybe most Irish clubs could maintain levels with academy players that but the scottish & welsh clubs will find that difficult in the pro14. more big tests will inevitably result in more injuries. so much for player safety initiatives, eh?

like I say...happy to hear more rugby on the way...but...this seems a little ambitious to me...and wreckless.

[Oldschool]

So the lads will miss out on their PUP money for the away games - ouch.

[neiliog93]

Why is one group (Ireland's) way tougher than the other?

Ireland, England, Wales, Fiji contains three of the strongest four teams of the eight (other group being France, Scotland, Italy, Japan)..

[Dave Cahill]

Why is one group (Ireland's) way tougher than the other?

Ireland, England, Wales, Fiji contains three of the strongest four teams of the eight (other group being France, Scotland, Italy, Japan)..

Bums on (television) seats, evenly matched games and politics

England v Wales and England v Ireland are traditional rivalries and Ireland v Wales is a modern sizeable one.

France v Scotland is also a long standing rivalry, Italy are part of the francophone rugby world. Scotland will be looking for revenge on Japan, and France probably wouldn't give visas to most of the Fijian alickadoos as they're as bent as a sousaphones pipes

[Up Wexford]

Not sure how to meme but if you get it the two spidermen pointing at each other is Laporte and the Fijian RFU

[Oldschool]

Any info on the TV rights/schedule for the games.

[IanD]

Any info on the TV rights/schedule for the games.

On RTE I believe.

[neill_m]

Any info on the TV rights/schedule for the games.

They will be fair game and open to all to bid on. The traditional AIs had existing contracts, Sky Sports for England, Channel 4 for Ireland etc. Depends who actually wants to bid for them. I read the RFU will be out cash even if Sky Sports pick up their games, as they are expected to pay a lot less for these games than for tests v New Zealand etc which had to be cancelled.

[domhnallj]

If they're six nations fixtures won't they be contracted to RTE for transmission. If they aren't then they go to whoever (does the existing contract specify the opposition or just the autumn series of X games?)?

[FLIP]

Let's hope our autumn campaign goes better than our new kit looks. It's awful.

[wixfjord]

Holy jaysus the away is shocking. How did they come up with that colour scheme?!

Home is not too bad but not a fan of the black.

[Dave Cahill]

Holy jaysus the away is shocking. How did they come up with that colour scheme?!

Home is not too bad but not a fan of the black.

It's not black, it's "Bio-Lime", you colour blind philistine!

[The Doc]

Holy jaysus the away is shocking. How did they come up with that colour scheme?!

Home is not too bad but not a fan of the black.

It's not black, it's "Bio-Lime", you colour blind philistine!

"Bio Lime"????

Somebody in the marketing department is a "language philistine"

[wixfjord]

I hear bio lime is great for balancing your soil PH too.

[Dave Cahill]

Next year's jersey will be Octarine

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Would it be fair to say that the communication between the IRFU and Leinster isn't great if they both released new kits within 24 hours of each other? Also find it strange timing when all the new football kits are being released around now too.

There's a "classic" jersey on the Elverys website that seems to be a more fan friendly version than the pro one and it is an incredibly lazy effort. It looks like a knock off jersey you'd see in Lidl...but for 70 quid.