Cardiff Blues head coach John Mulvihill welcomes return of crowds in Italy

Cardiff Blues will play their opening Pro14 match of the 2020-21 season against Zebre on Friday in front of 1,000 supporters at the Stadio Lanfranchi.

Ulster Rugby has also announced that it is to trial admitting 600 supporters to Kingspan Stadium for their first league game of the season against Benetton.

Blues head coach John Mulvihill hopes that will become more prevalent as the season continues, with the Welsh side hoping to return to their Arms Park home in Cardiff later this year after basing games at Newport's Rodney Parade.

The Arms Park has been acting as part of the Dragons Heart Hospital complex at Principality Stadium, which has been helping deal with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in Wales.