We can see a little more clearly. The Top 14 season will start on September 5: the French Rugby Federation (FFR) has voted "unanimously" the schedule proposed by the National League (LNR), announced both authorities on Wednesday. "The LNR and the FFR are working together to find the best solutions in the context of a timetable turned upside down by this health crisis," explained FFR president Bernard Laporte in a press release issued after the FFR's steering committee. Next season will therefore start well the first weekend in September. The final stages will begin on June 12 while the final is scheduled for June 26 at the Stade de France. The Pro D2 championship will run from September 4 to June 6, the date of the final.
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Regarding the European Cups, the 2019-2020 season will end in September and October, with finals scheduled for October 16 and 17 in Marseille. For the Blues, five international matches have been put on the LNR calendar, corresponding to the Six Nations Tournament 2021, between February 6 and March 20. The two governing bodies had hitherto been opposed on the number of international dates during the autumn window, which blocked the validation of the Top 14 calendar: in France, the clubs thus declared themselves ready to extend the international window to bring it to five dates over five weeks, one less than the Federation wishes. "These solutions can only exist in accordance with the international calendar decreed by World Rugby," added Laporte.
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For the time being, according to the convention signed between the FFR and the LNR, the XV of France must play three meetings in November against Georgia on the 7th, Australia on the 14th and South Africa on the 21st. These three meetings , for as many “duplicates” (international matches-Top 14), are covered by article 9 of World Rugby, which relates to the provision of players. From a good source, the governing body of world rugby is preparing to extend this window in the weeks to come.
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