Organisers of the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup remain adamant that a 'North v South' final will take place this summer.
Travel restrictions have seen the competition split into Northern Hemisphere and South African pods.
The tournament was supposed to serve as a first dip into PRO14 waters for the South African contingent of the Bulls, Stormers, Lions and Sharks.
With the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa set to play out behind closed doors in the coming weeks, it was feared the cross-continental Rainbow Cup decider could be shelved.
However, tournament organisers revealed on Friday that "Planning is now at an advanced stage and all written approvals are expected imminently for the game to take place at a European venue."
Details of the venue remain up in the air, but a date for the final has been set for Saturday, June 19.
The third of six rounds of Rainbow Cup North games get underway on Friday evening, with another pair of inter-provincial derbies. Munster welcome Connacht to Thomond Park, and the RDS hosts the clash of Leinster and Ulster.
Guinness PRO14 statement:
The Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup is set to culminate in an historic ‘North v South’ Final on June 19 so that the dual tournaments operating in Europe and South Africa will tie together to produce one winner.
Planning is now at an advanced stage and all written approvals are expected imminently for the game to take place at a European venue. At this stage in the process it was important for teams, their fans, broadcasters and sponsors to hear of these developments ahead of this weekend’s Rainbow Cup games in Europe and South Africa.
The Northern representative in the final shall be the team who finishes first in the table among the 12 teams in the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup while the Southern representative shall be the side who ranks first in the Rainbow Cup SA competition.
Further details on the ‘North v South’ Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup Final will be provided next week.
