2019–20 Pro14
The 2019–20 PRO14 is the nineteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It is also the third season to be referred to as the PRO14.
Fourteen teams are competing in this season — four Irish teams: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster; two Italian teams: Benetton and Zebre; two Scottish teams: Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors; two South African teams: Cheetahs and the Southern Kings; and four Welsh teams: Cardiff Blues, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets.
On 12 March 2020, the season was indefinitely suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is scheduled to restart on 22 August.
Teams
| Team | Coach / Director of Rugby | Captain | Stadium/ Stadia | Capacity |
| Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso | ||||
| Cardiff Arms Park | 12,125 | |||
| | Free State Stadium | 48,000 | ||
| Galway Sportsgrounds | ||||
| Rodney Parade | ||||
| Murrayfield Stadium | 67,144 | |||
| Scotstoun Stadium | ||||
| RDS Arena Aviva Stadium | 18,500 51,700 | |||
| Thomond Park Irish Independent Park | 25,600 8,008 | |||
| Liberty Stadium | 20,827 | |||
| Parc y Scarlets | 14,870 | |||
| Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | 48,459 | |||
| Ravenhill Stadium | 18,196 | |||
| Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi | 5,000 |
Competition Format
; League StageThe fourteen teams are split into two conferences of seven teams, with each conference featuring two teams from Ireland and Wales plus one team from Italy, Scotland and South Africa. To ensure a competitive balance, the teams are distributed approximately evenly between the conferences based upon their performance in the previous season.
The regular season was due to be made up of 21 rounds. The original schedule was planned as follows –
6 home and 6 away games against each team in their own conference
7 games, either home or away, against the teams in the other conference
2 additional regional derbies
- Each Irish team plays the two Irish teams in the other conference, one at home and one away
- Each Welsh team plays the two Welsh teams in the other conference, one at home and one away
- Each Italian team plays the Italian team in the other conference twice, home and away
- Each Scottish team plays the Scottish team in the other conference twice, home and away
- Each South African team plays the South African team in the other conference twice, home and away
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic
; League Play-Offs
The first and second placed teams in each conferences will meet in the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals will then meet in the grand final.
; Champions Cup Qualification
The South African teams cannot compete in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The top four eligible European teams in both conferences automatically qualify for following year's Champions Cup. Qualification will be based on league position prior to round 14.
Team changes
Ireland
Munster's backs coach Felix Jones and forwards coach Jerry Flannery left the province when their contracts expired in June 2019. Graham Rowntree will join the province as their new forwards coach after the completion of his duties with Georgia at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Stephen Larkham, attack coach for the Australian national team, will also join the province as a senior coach ahead of the 2019–20 season.Long-serving Ulster captain Rory Best announced in April 2019 that he would retire from rugby after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Iain Henderson replaced Best as captain.
Italy
Scotland
South Africa
Cheetahs announced in June 2019 that Hawies Fourie had replaced Franco Smith as their head coach.Wales
Then-Crusaders assistant coach Brad Mooar was confirmed as Wayne Pivac's replacement as Scarlets head coach in December 2018, with Pivac leaving the region to take over from Warren Gatland as Wales' head coach after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Scarlets also appointed then-Highlanders defence coach and former London Irish head coach Glenn Delaney as their new defence coach, replacing the outgoing Byron Hayward.Dragons announced the departure of head coach Bernard Jackman in December 2018, with Ceri Jones replacing Jackman on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2018–19 season, before the region confirmed in May 2019 that Dean Ryan would join in the newly created director of rugby position.
Table
Match summary
Conference Rounds 1 to 15
All times are local.Round 1
----Round 2
----Round 3
----Round 4
----Round 5
----Round 6
----Round 7
----Round 8
1872 Cup 1st round
---Round 9
1872 Cup 2nd round
----Round 10
----Round 8 (South Africa)
----Round 9 (South Africa)
----Round 11
- Postponed due to bad weather. Game to be rescheduled for 6 March 2020.
Round 12
----Round 13
- Postponed due to coronavirus fears. Awarded as a 0–0 draw
- Postponed due to coronavirus fears. Awarded as a 0–0 draw
Round 11 (rescheduled game)
- Rescheduled from 15 February 2020.
Round 14
1872 Cup 3rd round
----1872 Cup 4th round
Round 15
Judgement Day
Play-offs
In a change to the normal format the top two sides from each of the two conferences meet in the two semi-finals to determine the finalists.
The play-offs are scheduled to take place immediately following the final round of derby fixtures. The quarter-finals featuring the second and third teams in each conference have been scrapped for this year.
Semi-finals
Final
Referees
Attendances by club
- Includes quarter-finals and semi-finals – the final is not included as it is held at a neutral venue. Due to the Conference A & B structure of 21 rounds in the Pro14, some teams played 10 league home games during the league stage, while others played 11. Does not include European Champions Cup play-off game.
| Club | Home games | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
 Benetton | 6 | 24,863 | 4,144 | 5,000 | 3,676 | 62% |
 Cardiff Blues | 6 | 46,202 | 7,700 | 12,125 | 5,190 | 64% |
 Cheetahs | 4 | 21,756 | 5,439 | 7,832 | 4,528 | 12% |
 Connacht | 6 | 35,700 | 5,950 | 8,129 | 4,512 | 73% |
| Dragons | 7 | 28,159 | 4,023 | 6,421 | 1,857 | 46% |
 Edinburgh | 7 | 58,529 | 8,361 | 27,437 | 4,221 | 12% |
| Glasgow Warriors | 7 | 47,991 | 6,856 | 7,351 | 6,203 | 93% |
| Leinster | 7 | 90,431 | 12,919 | 18,300 | 7,967 | 70% |
| Munster | 7 | 86,880 | 12,411 | 26,267 | 6,854 | 75% |
| Ospreys | 7 | 34,679 | 4,954 | 6,664 | 2,347 | 33% |
| Scarlets | 7 | 50,613 | 7,230 | 13,682 | 5,639 | 49% |
| Southern Kings | 5 | 13,815 | 2,763 | 4,316 | 1,500 | 6% |
| Ulster | 7 | 96,725 | 13,818 | 17,483 | 10,975 | 76% |
| Zebre | 6 | 16,100 | 2,683 | 4,000 | 2,000 | 54% |
Highest attendances
End of Season Awards
PRO14 Dream Team
Award winners
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.Top points scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Points |
| 1 | J. J. Hanrahan | Munster | 101 |
| 2 | John Cooney | Ulster | 94 |
| 3 | Sam Davies | Dragons | 84 |
| 4 | Ian Keatley | Benetton | 94 |
| 5 | Ruan Pienaar | Cheetahs | 73 |
| 6 | Jarrod Evans | Cardiff Blues | 70 |
| 7 | Ross Byrne | Leinster | 69 |
| 8 | Jaco van der Walt | Edinburgh | 67 |
| 9 | Luke Price | Ospreys | 65 |
| 10 |  Simon Hickey | Edinburgh | 63 |
| 10 | Dan Jones | Scarlets | 63 |
Top try scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Tries |
| 1 | Rhyno Smith | Cheetahs | 10 |
| 2 | Dave Kearney | Leinster | 9 |
| 3 | Joseph Dweba | Cheetahs | 7 |
| 3 | George Horne | Glasgow Warriors | 7 |
| 3 | Rónan Kelleher | Leinster | 7 |
| 3 | Duhan van der Merwe | Edinburgh | 7 |
| 4 | Mark Bennett | Edinburgh | 6 |
| 4 | Arno Botha | Munster | 6 |
| 4 | Steff Evans | Scarlets | 6 |
| 4 | Matt Faddes | Ulster | 6 |
| 4 | Hame Faiva | Benetton | 6 |