Spectators at The Stoop in Round 18?

Harlequins and Bath may battle it out in front of a live audience when they meet in their Round 18 clash on 5 September at The Stoop.

Scottish administrators last week announced that some fans would be granted entry to Murrayfield to witness Edinburgh taking on Glasgow Warriors and it appears that their English counterparts have latched onto the idea as well.

“We are delighted to able to host this pilot event and we have been working incredibly hard with the relevant authorities to demonstrate that we can safely and securely host events with supporters,” said Laurie Dalrymple, CEO of Harlequins.

“A huge amount of work has been done across the club to ensure operationally and medically that we deliver our matchday events to the highest standard, meeting the stringent guidelines. Our successful hosting of both Harlequins and London Irish matches at The Stoop since rugby’s return have been a great test, but having supporters in the stadium is what everyone has been striving for.

“We will communicate shortly with our supporters about how we will select those that are able to attend this match. We are sure they will understand that it is impossible to get everyone into the stadium for this pilot and we must have a selection process.

“We do of course hope that this pilot leads to further matches and increased numbers of supporters which will enable us to get as many supporters as possible into The Stoop as soon as possible. At this stage, we ask our supporters to hold for further information which will come shortly while we wait for final details from DCMS.”