2020–21 Pro14
The 2020–21 PRO14 (also known as the Guinness PRO14 for sponsorship reasons) was the twentieth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League.
It was the fourth season to be referred to as the PRO14 (the competition was named the Pro12 immediately prior to the addition of two South African teams).
| 2020–21 Pro14 | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  Ireland  Italy  Scotland  Wales |
| Date | 2 October 2020 – 28 March 2021 |
| Champions | Leinster (8th title) |
| Runners-up | Munster |
| Matches played | 96 |
| Tries scored | 511 (average 5.3 per match) |
| Top point scorer | John Cooney (Ulster) 115 points |
| Top try scorer |  Marcell Coetzee (Ulster) Scott Penny (Leinster) Alex Wootton (Connacht) 9 tries |
| Official website | |
| www | |
Twelve teams competed in this season — four Irish teams: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster; two Italian teams: Benetton and Zebre; two Scottish teams: Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors; and four Welsh teams: Cardiff Blues, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets. Neither of the two South African teams competed this season, with the Cheetahs unable to compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Southern Kings having entered into voluntary liquidation due to heavy financial losses.
Due to the delays experienced during the 2019–20 season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 season started later than usual on 2 October 2020. Leinster were the defending champions, having defeated Ulster 27–5 in the 2019–20 final to defend their title and complete a hat-trick of title wins.
It was won by Leinster who defeated Munster in the final on 27 March, it was their fourth consecutive Pro14 title and 8th overall.
On 23 December 2020 it was announced that the 2020-21 PRO14 season would conclude on 27 March 2021 after 16 rounds, and will be followed by the Pro14 Rainbow Cup, a competition featuring the four former South African Super Rugby sides, the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers. The Rainbow Cup would consist of two dual tournaments; one for the northern hemisphere teams and one for the four South African teams. The northern hemisphere tournament will run from 23 April to 19 June 2021.
Teams
| Location of Irish, Scottish and Welsh teams: | Location of Italian teams: |
 Conference A;  Conference B | |
| Team | Coach / Director of Rugby | Captain | Stadium/ Stadia | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benetton |  Kieran Crowley | Dewaldt Duvenage | Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso | 6,700 |
| Cardiff Blues | Dai Young (interim) | Ellis Jenkins | Cardiff Arms Park | 12,125 |
| Connacht |  Andy Friend | Jarrad Butler | Galway Sportsgrounds | 8,129 |
| Dragons |  Dean Ryan | Rhodri Williams | Rodney Parade | 8,700 |
| Edinburgh | Richard Cockerill | Stuart McInally | Murrayfield Stadium | 67,144 |
| Glasgow Warriors | Danny Wilson | Fraser Brown Ryan Wilson | Scotstoun Stadium | 7,351 |
| Leinster | Leo Cullen | Johnny Sexton | RDS Arena Aviva Stadium | 18,500 51,700 |
| Munster | Johann van Graan | Peter O'Mahony | Thomond Park Irish Independent Park | 25,600 8,008 |
| Ospreys | Toby Booth | Justin Tipuric | Liberty Stadium | 20,827 |
| Scarlets | Glenn Delaney | Ken Owens | Parc y Scarlets | 14,870 |
| Ulster | Dan McFarland | Iain Henderson | Kingspan Stadium | 18,196 |
| Zebre | Michael Bradley | Tommaso Castello | Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi | 5,000 |
Competition format
- League Stage
The twelve teams were split into two conferences of six teams, with each conference featuring two teams from Ireland and Wales plus one team from Italy and Scotland. To ensure a competitive balance, the teams were distributed approximately evenly between the conferences based upon their performance in the previous season.
The regular season consisted of 16 rounds, a home-and-away double round robin with same conference opponents (10 matches), and a home or away tie against each team in the other conference (6 matches). This represented a reduction from previous years, due to a delayed start and in order to make space for the PRO14 Rainbow Cup to be played following the conclusion of the season, which will introduce former Super Rugby teams into the Pro14 competitions.
- Final
The top-ranked team in each conference met in the final on 27 March 2021.
- Champions Cup Qualification
The organiser of the European Rugby Champions Cup, EPCR, has not yet confirmed the format for the 2021–22 tournament. If the usual qualification rules apply, at least seven PRO14 teams would qualify. The top three teams in each conference would qualify automatically. Previously, the winner of a playoff match between the fourth-ranked eligible teams in each conference became the seventh qualifying team. However, the organiser has confirmed that no play-off game will be used for European qualification this season and that rankings after round 16 will be used to determine which teams will qualify. The seventh qualifying team would be the fourth-ranked team which accumulated the most match points.
It is unclear if there will be any further qualifiers as it will influenced by the format of the 2021-22 tournament and, potentially, the final placings in the 2020-21 Champions Cup and Challenge Cup. In April 2021 EPCR confirmed a 24 team tournament featuring the top 8 teams.
Team changes
Ireland
Italy
Scotland
South Africa
Southern Kings entered liquidation in September 2020 and withdrew from the league, while the Cheetahs did not compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a vote by the South African Rugby Union, the four former South African Super Rugby sides, the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers, are likely to join an expanded tournament beginning in the 2021–22 season. The future of the Cheetahs is in doubt and they will likely be withdrawn from the PRO14.
Wales
Table
| |||||||||||||||||
| Conference A | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TBP | LBP | PTS | |||||
| 1 | Leinster (CH) | 16 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 576 | 285 | +291 | 82 | 33 | 14 | 1 | 71 | ||||
| 2 | Ulster | 16 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 469 | 263 | +206 | 65 | 34 | 8 | 0 | 64 | ||||
| 3 | Ospreys | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 301 | 318 | -17 | 34 | 39 | 1 | 3 | 36 | ||||
| 4 | Glasgow Warriors | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 335 | 377 | -42 | 40 | 47 | 2 | 4 | 30 | ||||
| 5 | Dragons | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 215 | 394 | -79 | 36 | 50 | 2 | 3 | 29 | ||||
| 6 | Zebre | 16 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 237 | 508 | -271 | 22 | 69 | 0 | 1 | 17 | ||||
| Conference B | |||||||||||||||||
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TBP | LBP | PTS | |||||
| 1 | Munster (RU) | 16 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 413 | 250 | +163 | 49 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 64 | ||||
| 2 | Connacht | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 396 | 353 | +43 | 53 | 36 | 7 | 6 | 45 | ||||
| 3 | Scarlets | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 319 | 333 | -14 | 36 | 38 | 3 | 4 | 39 | ||||
| 4 | Cardiff Blues | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 265 | 284 | -19 | 30 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 36 | ||||
| 5 | Edinburgh | 16 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 247 | 344 | -97 | 29 | 43 | 1 | 4 | 29* | ||||
| 6 | Benetton | 16 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 252 | 415 | -164 | 34 | 53 | 1 | 6 | 7* | ||||
| * Cancelled fixture: Edinburgh awarded four match points. | |||||||||||||||||
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
| |||||||||||||||||
| Green background indicates teams that will compete in the Pro14 Final, and also earn a place in the 2021–22 European Champions Cup Blue background indicates teams outside the play-off places that earn a place in the 2021–22 European Champions Cup | |||||||||||||||||
Match summary
Rounds 1 to 16
Fixtures for the first 11 rounds of matches were announced on 23 September 2020. Several matches were scheduled on Monday nights to avoid clashes with the extended international calendar. The remaining fixtures for rounds 12 to 16 were confirmed on 25 January 2021.
All times are local.
Round 1
| 2 October 2020 20:15 |
| (1 BP) Ulster | 35–24 | Benetton |
| Try: Hume 8' c Moore 11' c Lowry 28' c Coetzee 46' c McBurney 73' c Con: Cooney (4) 9' 12' 30' 47' Johnston 74' | Report Highlights | Try: Ruzza 23' c Garbisi 32' c Steyn 38' c Con: Garbisi (3) 24' 33' 39' Pen: Garbisi 43' |
| Kingspan Stadium Referee: Adam Jones |
Round 2
| 10 October 2020 17:15 |
| Ospreys | 12–24 | Ulster |
| Pen: Myler (4) 21' 40+1' 57' 65' | Report Highlights | Try: Stockdale 7' c Coetzee 48' c Cooney 72' Con: Cooney (3) 8' 49' 73' Pen: Cooney 31' |
| Liberty Stadium Referee: Mike Adamson |
Round 3
| 25 October 2020 15:00 |
| (1 BP) Ulster | 40–17 | Dragons |
| Try: Coetzee 4' c O'Sullivan 13' c Reidy 26' c Ludik (2) 31' c 38' c O'Connor 66' Con: Cooney (5) 5' 15' 27' 32' 39' | Report Highlights | Try: Hewitt 60' c Roberts 80' c Con: Davies (2) 61' 80+1' Pen: Davies 9' |
| Kingspan Stadium Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi |
Round 4
| 2 November 2020 18:00 |
| (1 BP) Cardiff Blues | 7–11 | Ulster |
| Try: Lee-Lo 22' c Con: Evans 23' | Report Highlights | Try: Lowry 40+1' Pen: Cooney (2) 16' 64' |
| Rodney Parade Referee: Adam Jones |
| 2 November 2020 20:15 |
| Glasgow Warriors | 19–32 | Leinster (1 BP) |
| Scotstoun Stadium Referee: Duncan McClement |
Round 5
| 9 November 2020 20:15 |
| (1 BP) Ulster | 40–15 | Glasgow Warriors |
| Try: Andrew 11' c Coetzee 24' c Carter 36' c Cooney 40+2' c Reidy 49' Faddes 55' c Con: Cooney (5) 12' 25' 37' 40+3' 56' | Report Highlights | Try: Ioane 4' c Stewart 60' Con: Horne 4' Pen: Horne 20' |
| Kingspan Stadium Referee: Nigel Owens |
Round 6
| 16 November 2020 19:00 |
| Zebre | 14–57 | Ulster (1 BP) |
| Try: Bruno 10' c Casilio 53' c Con: Rizzi 10' Pescetto 54' | Report Highlights | Try: Coetzee (4) 5' c 24' c 35' c 58 Moore 28' Johnston 45' c Marshall 49' c McIlroy 74' Shanahan 79' c Con: Johnston (6) 6' 25' 36' 47' 50' 80' |
| Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi Referee: Ben Whitehouse |
Round 7
| 22 November 2020 19:35 |
| (1 BP) Ulster | 24–22 | Scarlets (2 BP) |
| Try: Lyttle 6' Moore 30' c Reidy 39' c Treadwell 64' c Con: Cooney (2) 32' 40' Johnston 65' | Report Highlights | Try: Asquith 17' c Conbeer 41' Evans 54' Price 76' c Con: O'Brien (2) 18', 77' |
| Kingspan Stadium Referee: Andrea Piardi |
Round 8
| 30 November 2020 20:15 |
| Edinburgh | 14–43 | Ulster (1 BP) |
| Try: Blain (2) 32' c 44' c Con: Chamberlain (2) 34' 45' | Report Highlights | Try: Moore 2' c Andrew (3) 18' 72' 80@1' Cooney (2) 23' c 66' c Murphy 59' c Con: Cooney (4) 3' 24' 60' 68' |
| BT Murrayfield Referee: Craig Evans |
Round 4 (rescheduled match)
Round 6 (rescheduled match)
Round 9
| 27 December 2020 19:35 |
| Connacht | 19–32 | Ulster |
| Try: Carty 20' c Porch 27' c Daly 61' Con: Carty (2) 21' 28' | Report Highlights | Try: Murphy 48' c Timoney 53' c Con: Madigan (2) 49' 55' Pen: Madigan (6) 2' 10' 24' 65' 74' 78' |
| Galway Sportsgrounds Referee: Sean Gallagher |
Round 10
| 2 January 2021 17:15 |
| Ulster | 15–10 | Munster (1 BP) |
| Try: Faddes 6' McIlroy 16' c Con: Cooney 17' Pen: Cooney 28' | Report Highights | Try: Sweetnam 80+2' Con: Crowley 80+4' Pen: Healy 12' |
| Kingspan Stadium Referee: Mike Adamson |
1872 Cup 1st round
Round 9 (rescheduled match)
Round 11
| 8 January 2021 19:35 |
| (1 BP) Leinster | 24–12 | Ulster |
| Try: Kearney 22' Cronin 43' c Henshaw 52' Tracy 73' c Con: Sexton 44' Byrne 75' | Report Highlights | Pen: Cooney (4) 14' 34' 40' 69' |
| RDS Arena Referee: Andrew Brace |
Round 9 (rescheduled match)
1872 Cup 2nd round
Round 14 (rescheduled match)
Round 11 (rescheduled match)
Round 9 (rescheduled match)
Round 8 (rescheduled match)
Round 5 (rescheduled match)
Round 8 (rescheduled match)
Round 5 (rescheduled match)
Round 12
| 19 February 2021 19:35 |
| (1 BP) Glasgow Warriors | 13–19 | Ulster |
| Try: Seiuli 76' c Con: Thompson 77' Pen: Hastings (2) 36' 50' | Report Highlights | Try: Lowry 39' c Gilroy 55' Timoney 62' c Con: Cooney (2) 40' 63' |
| Scotstoun Stadium Referee: Ben Blain |
Round 13
| 26 February 2021 20:00 |
| Ulster | 21–7 | Ospreys |
| Try: Cooney 37' c Andrew 53' c Con: Cooney (2) 39' 54' | Report Highlights | Try: Giles 1' c Con: Myler 3' |
| Kingspan Stadium Referee: Sean Gallagher |
Round 14
| 6 March 2021 19:35 |
| Ulster | 19–38 | Leinster (1 BP) |
| Try: Coetzee 8' c Baloucoune 13' Timoney 72' c Con: Cooney 10' Lowry 73' | Report Highlights | Try: Bent 24' c Van der Flier 27' c E. Byrne 36' c Ruddock 56' c Sheehan 78' c Con: R. Byrne (5) 25' 28' 38' 57' 79' Pen: R. Byrne 4' |
| Kingspan Stadium Referee: Frank Murphy |
- Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Edinburgh were awarded four match points.
Round 15
| 13 March 2021 19:35 |
| (1 BP) Dragons | 22–26 | Ulster (1 BP) |
| Try: Griffiths 55' c Dyer 73' Holmes 77' c Con: Davies 55' Lewis 77' Pen: Davies 34' | Report Highlights | Try: Mathewson 13' c Moore (2) 20' c 60' c Andrew 49' Con: Lowry (3) 14' 22' 61' |
| Millennium Stadium Referee: Adam Jones |
| 14 March 2021 13:00 |
| Benetton | 14–29 | Cardiff Blues (1 BP) |
| Stadio Comunale di Monigo Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi |
Round 16
| 19 March 2021 20:15 |
| (1 BP) Ulster | 49–3 | Zebre |
| Try: Andrew 12' c Lowry 38' c Baloucoune 42 c Murphy (2) 44' c 60' c Lyttle 66' c Roberts 78' c Con: Cooney (4) 14' 39' 43' 45' Lowry (3) 61' 67' 79' | Report Highlights | Pen: Paolo Pescetto 15' |
| Kingspan Stadium Referee: Andrew Brace |
Round 11 (rescheduled match)
| 27 March 2021 13:45 |
| (1 BP) Glasgow Warriors | 46–25 | Benetton (1 BP) |
| Scotstoun Stadium Referee: Frank Murphy |
Round 7 (rescheduled match)
Play-offs
Final
Referees
Pro14 2018–19 14-man referee elite squad: (number of matches refereed):
Mike Adamson (SRU) – (21)
Stuart Berry (SARU) – (14)
Andrew Brace (IRFU) – (35)- George Clancy (IRFU) – (102)
Ian Davies (WRU) – (72)- Sean Gallagher (IRFU) – (9)
- Quinton Immelman (SARU) – (10)
- Dan Jones (WRU) – (14)
- John Lacey (IRFU) – (70)
- Lloyd Linton (SRU) – (21)
Marius Mitrea (FIR) – (78)- Frank Murphy (IRFU) – (14)
- Andrea Piardi (FIR) – (1)
- Nigel Owens (WRU) – (166)
- Ben Whitehouse (WRU) – (46)
Note: Additional referees are used throughout the season, selected from a select development squad.
Attendances by club
| Club | Home games | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benetton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Cardiff Blues | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Connacht | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Dragons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Edinburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Glasgow Warriors | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Leinster | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Munster | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Ospreys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Scarlets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Ulster | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Zebre | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Highest attendances
End of Season Awards
PRO14 Dream Team
The 2020–21 Pro14 Dream team is:
| Pos | Player | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FB | 15 | Michael Lowry | Ulster |
| RW | 14 | Alex Wootton | Connacht |
| OC | 13 | Huw Jones | Glasgow Warriors |
| IC | 12 | Damian de Allende | Munster |
| LW | 11 | Dave Kearney | Leinster |
| FH | 10 | Jack Carty | Connacht |
| SH | 9 | John Cooney | Ulster |
| N8 | 8 | Marcell Coetzee | Ulster |
| OF | 7 | Scott Penny | Leinster |
| BF | 6 | Josh Turnbull | Cardiff Blues |
| RL | 5 | Gavin Thornbury | Connacht |
| LL | 4 | Billy Holland | Munster |
| TP | 3 | Michael Bent | Leinster |
| HK | 2 | Kevin O'Byrne | Munster |
| LP | 1 | Eric O'Sullivan | Ulster |
Award winners
The 2020–21 Pro14 award winners were:
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Players' Player of the Season | Marcell Coetzee (Ulster) |
| Next-Gen Star of the Season | Scott Penny (Leinster) |
| Chairman's Award | Dr. Vincenzo Ieracitano (FIR) Dr. Rod McLoughlin (IRFU) Dr. Michael Dunlop (Edinburgh) Dr. James Robson (SRU) Clint Readhead (SARU) Prav Mathema (WRU) |
| Golden Boot | Stephen Myler (Ospreys) |
| Top Try Scorer | Marcell Coetzee (Ulster) Scott Penny (Leinster Rugby) Alex Wootton (Conancht) |
| Tackle Machine | Brok Harris (Dragons) |
| Turnover King | Chris Cloete (Munster) |
| Ironman Award | Ashton Hewitt (Dragons) |
Leading scorers
Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under World Rugby eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not yet earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.
Most points
| Most tries
|
Notes
References
External links
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