The much-shortened 2020/21 Rugby Championship season will get under way on the opening weekend of March with Nottingham RFU set to face Ealing Trailfinders in long awaited league action at the Bay.
The fixtures have been announced for a campaign that will run until the end of May, with an eleven-team competition where each side plays each other once, with the top two reaching the playoffs over two-legs in June to decide who goes up into the Gallagher Premiership.
With London-Scottish sitting out, there will be no relegation but at least a chance for those involved to play some rugby at long last, after what would be a year without action, five home games and five away and an opportunity for the winners to reach the top tier of English rugby will at least whet the appetite for those involved having missed doing what they do for so long.
There’s a number of crunching ties to excite too, after Ealing on March 6th, the Green and Whites will head to Ampthill seven days later before facing Coventry at home to end the month of March.
In April they begin with a trip to Hartpury before an exciting home match against Cornish Pirates and a flight to Jersey as they face the Reds over in the Channel Islands and on May 1st by which time we hope that some supporters (at least) will be allowed through the turnstiles, the club face Saracens in league action at Lady Bay for the first ever time. A stand out tie and one that gets the juices flowing upon rugby’s much anticipated return.
After Saracens, it will be Richmond away on May 15th before hosting Bedford Blues a week later and the club will end their irregular regular campaign at Doncaster Knights on May 29th before the playoff start on 12th June.
Whether Nottingham will have what it takes to jostle for position amongst the top is a question that is probably to harshly placed. After a year out, just playing competitive rugby against some top opponents is enough for starters, any success that comes with it, a bonus.
For our full 2020/21 Championship fixtures schedule for Nottingham RFU you can click here
*Main image @NottinghamRugby home at last as rugby returns to the Bay.
