Win awarded after Irish clash cancelled
Bath Rugby’s Boxing Day clash with London Irish was the second game of Round Four of the Gallagher Premiership to be cancelled.
Leicester Tigers versus Newcastle Falcons had also been called off as the pandemic sadly increases its hold on sport and the nation as whole once more.
The Blue, Black and Whites had to pull out of their scheduled Champions Cup game away at La Rochelle last weekend following 12 Bath Rugby players from the matchday-23 which played Scarlets on December 12 being forced to isolate after being named as close contacts with players who have tested positive with COVID-19.
Bath were beaten 23-19 by the Welsh region in the opening European game.
Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper said: “We are in training and are getting ourselves ready for Boxing Day.
“The game against La Rochelle didn’t happen because of the close contacts we picked up in the Scarlets game so it hasn’t really affected the last couple of days.
“We have had our players in isolation. It was obviously a new situation and one we have not encountered before, but we got to the right point in the end.
“We have run a full training programme. On any given day we can adapt the training sessions pretty well.
“The coaches are pretty good at small number training, small-sided stuff, and making sure we get as many people involved out there. We had a decent session today [last Tuesday].”
The PRL Panel has awarded Bath four points and London Irish two after meeting on Christmas Eve to discuss the cancellation.
In a statement, the panel said: “Pursuant to COVID-19 regulations set out in Schedule 5 of the Premiership Regulations, a PRL Panel has been convened to determine the result and points allocation as follows: - ‘In the event that the PRL Panel decide that a Referred Match in the League Season is cancelled, or any governmental authority recommends or requires that a match in the Premiership League season is cancelled (in either case, a Cancelled League Season Match), then (without prejudice to any action which may be taken under or relating to any Covid Minimum Operating Standards): the result of that Cancelled League Season Match shall be deemed to be 0-0; and four league points shall be allocated to club who was able to play the cancelled League Season Match and two league points shall be allocated to the other club.’
“The Panel has concluded that due to London Irish’s inability to fulfil the fixture due to COVID-19, Bath Rugby shall be awarded the win and four league points and London Irish shall be deemed to have lost the match but awarded two league points.
“The match score shall be recorded as 0-0.”