COVID-HIT WASPS CLEARED FOR FINAL

WASPS breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as they were given the green light to compete in Saturday’s Premiership final against Exeter after containing their Covid outbreak. The club had 11 cases across players and staff, although two were said to be ‘false positives’. One more would have seen them forfeit their place in the final. Wasps confirmed they could take their ‘rightful place’ at Twickenham after receiving fresh test results at 3am, although head coach Lee Blackett’s selection may need to be tweaked.

Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter said: ‘It’s obviously good news. We had the all-clear as well, which is fantastic. ‘Wasps will deem themselves very unlucky. They are one of the teams who have hardly picked up anything right the way through, then at the business end of the season they’ve had a little outbreak.’ If Wasps had been ruled out, Bristol — who they thrashed 47-24 in the play-offs — would have played Exeter. Eddie Jones was therefore able to call up Bristol’s Kyle Sinckler, Ben Earl and, for the first time, Max Malins for Sunday’s England-Barbarians game. George Ford is out with an achilles problem. Bristol duo Callum Sheedy and Ioan Lloyd will join Wales’s camp. Meanwhile, Premiership clubs are once again at war with the Lions, as they will not release any England-based players for next year’s pre-tour Japan fixture at Murrayfield, which was confirmed yesterday. It will take place on the same day as the Premiership final, and the league has said no players can play in Edinburgh — even if their club is not at Twickenham on June 26.