I think the 8x3 schedule originally incorporated two-legged semis, which I'm not a fan of. Not a particular fan of three team pools either. So maybe what they come up with might be better.

I get what was meant about bye weekends but it could be wisely rotated so that Top 14 (heavier schedule) can play domesticly and accept this as a real burden-lightener. And we can have our rest protocol implemented in a busy international end of the year

Re the 24 Team H Cup, if the plan was for 8 games overall, you would have to have 4 groups of 6 teams. The pool games would be similar to the 6N with a mix of home and away games.

The 8x3 set up is only 4 games for a side but they also have to have 2 bye weekends so it would still be 6 match weekends.

Wasn't sure where was best suited to this so said I'd stick it in here. If we reffing of the breakdown being tightened up to the degree it has been so far in super rugby I think we'll benefit. Maybe I'm just really naive but I always think that we're a bit more by the book/straight laced than a lot of dominant teams seem to get away with.

Meeting is on Thursday in the French article

I'm not that sure about round of 16

of course not with the 2X12 or 6X4 format

but it was said the overall number of games might be 8 instead of 9

3X8 means only 4 pool-games instead of 6
meaning there's room for the round of 16, and qualifying 2 clubs among 3

No round of 16, it would be pool winners straight to QFs, but now that I read a bit more, maybe eight pools of three is not guaranteed. Some reports allegedly coming from AFP say there will be two pools of 12
sports.orange.fr/rugby/coupes-europe/cha...-CNT000001qZUvi.html
No idea how that would work but presumably you just play four random teams or something like that. Doesn't make much sense to me, really. Getting rid of home and away makes a certain amount of sense given that home advantage won't be worth as much. Four pools of six would seem to make more sense. Supposedly there's a meeting on Wednesday.

Bordeaux La Rochelle too.
Northampton we have a revange to take (play-off)..

We're able to beat any but Racing IMO

Avoiding Montpellier Toulouse and probably Clermont gives us an outside chance to make the round of 16 (if it exists)

In terms of the seedings for the draw, assuming the rumoured eight pools of three format, Connacht would avoid repeat trips to Toulouse or Montpellier as they'll be in the same pot and less likely to get Clermont as two out of the three sixth place teams would be in Pot 3 as well.
Less clear what is going on in the Premiership as they haven't decided how they are proceeding but something like Lyon/Bristol would be possible but it could be a more daunting Exeter/Racing type prospect.

Given that:
a) the two August derbies don't effect European qualification
and
b) the quarter finals/playoffs/barrages/whatever we're calling them these days are being skipped
and
c) the second place teams are 8 and 9 points clear respectively with considerable breathing room in points difference and are thus highly unlikely to be caught
and
d) the semis are likely to be behind closed doors and the conference winner may not necessarily get home advantage anyway ...

... you would have to wonder what the purpose of the two extra derbies is. Can't we just say that the semis are Leinster v Munster and Edinburgh v Ulster?
If it's just to get some competitive rugby in before the semis and give the fans something to watch on TV, then why make the games part of the league? Wouldn't it be better to make them optional and let each union do it's own thing? I would prefer a three round interpro series at HQ with its own winner than two largely meaningless games (though I'd take pretty much anything at this stage).

Agreed Connachta - or even two back 3 - a full back and a strike winger.

Hell YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Fairness and basic logic prevail in the end

"The decision to make the existing tables the cut-off point is because the 2019-20 Pro14 will be completed with a mixture of both scheduled and unscheduled derbies, the net effect being that Benetton and Zebre would meet four times rather than three, and ditto the two Scottish sides and two South African teams."

Can help us a lot to sign the couple we need :

N°8 and utility back-3

www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/resolutio...mpions-cup-1.4281782

I can't really see any argument for abandoning this season's Pro14. That seems to be the route the French are going down but it seems devoid of logic. The chances of completing a full uninterrupted competition in the originally scheduled 2020/21 season seem remote at best, so why risk two abandoned competitions? To me it feels like the sporting equivalent of saying: I don't have time to finish this packet of biscuits, I'll just throw it in the bin and open another one*

I would think an achievable target would be to get the current season's competitions finished by the end of next season. Suspend the Pro14 for now as cross-border travel isn't viable and whenever there is go-ahead to play competitive games, start off with an intercalary period where each country does it's own thing (interpro series for us) and if/when cross-border games become viable, restart the Pro14 then.
If things are going well and the current campaign is wrapped up reasonably promptly, play an abbreviated league during the remainder of next season.
Far from ideal but there are no good options.

* I am not very good at sporting analogies and there is an unfinished packed of biscuits staring at me.

There was rumours at one stage that if the pro14 did not start up again. Current position would stand.
Does that mean we would have to have a play for the final European slot like Ospreys and Cardiff did last year?

On a side note.
There is an argument for using last year position in the league for Europe , at least that league was completed unlike this year league.

Hopefully that will not be in that position anyways as Scotland RFU expect the pro 14 to resume.

the42.ie/5093129

Based on the tentative schedule, rugby is permitted here from August 10th, with spectators allowed within limits.
That is earlier than I would have expected, and of course any number of things could happen between now and then, but if I was scattered about a sparsely populated Bohermore Terrace by the 16th, that would be considered a result.

EDIT: From further reading, it seems that from August 10th (provisionally), rugby will no longer be prohibited, but will nonetheless not be recommended (though I'm not sure that rugby has ever been recommended).

www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/pro-14-ch...ill-finish-1.4229801
Good to see they are keeping options open regarding finishing the competitions (whenever that might happen), though the eight week finish option would be pretty bad news for Connacht.
Connacht's two derbies would presumably be the ones we're scheduled to play, i.e. Ulster home and Munster away. Scarlets have three left and you'd fancy them to win both of them, whichever two they go with. Treviso would presumably play Zebre home and away (so four times in total) and with the two points for their game in hand, they'd have a very good shot at making up the six point deficit, which would leave us heading for the Challenge Cup (whenever that is).
Then again they might come up with some new system for European qualification so maybe that won't be as much of an issue.
Whatever way it happens, I'd just be happy to see a few matches on the telly.

As for next season's competitions, who knows what that might look like. You'd imagine South African participation is unworkable in any case.