Games off as rugby calls European ceasefire
EPCR insistent cups will play out after suspension
ROUNDS three and four of the Champions Cup were suspended last night by organisers European Professional Club Rugby ( EPCR) after the French government told its clubs not to compete in the competition for the rest of the month due to Covid concerns. The suspension also applies to the Challenge Cup, and although EPCR are confident they can still find time in the season to complete both tournaments, changes in format appear inevitable.
The suspension means that Glasgow will not travel to France to play Lyon on Saturday, and that Edinburgh will not be at home to Sale Sharks. The Warriors were due to complete their pool campaign the following weekend with a home game against Exeter, while Edinburgh were to travel to La Rochelle. Both those games are now also off.
“It’s unfortunate that we won’t be able to take on Lyon this weekend,” Glasgow coach Danny Wilson said last night. “However, the safety of all players, staff and members of the public should always come first. This season has been like no other and this is just another obstacle for us to overcome.”
The French Top 14 is now set to play some outstanding league matches this weekend, and the PRO14 could follow suit if it can reach agreement with its broadcasting partners. The Scottish derby, postponed last Friday because the Scotstoun pitch was frozen, is just one match waiting for a new date.
EPCR announced the suspension yesterday evening after apparently failing in its attempt to persuade the French authorities that it would be safe to carry on playing. “Following a directive from the French authorities that the participation of Top 14 clubs in the Heineken Champions
Cup and Challenge Cup at the current time constitutes too great a public health risk, EPCR has no choice but to announce today ( Monday, 11 January) that the 2020/ 21 tournaments are temporarily suspended,” it said.
“Last week notable updates to EPCR’s COVID- 19 protocols were presented to the French authorities, including the addition of PCR tests no earlier than three days before matches in the tournaments, conforming to French government guidelines and supplementing the existing, meticulous contact tracing measures put in place with a view to limiting the risk of transmission.
“Against the backdrop of the recent detection of a new strain of coronavirus, the French government has directed that French clubs postpone their participation in EPCR’s tournaments for the month of January, both for matches scheduled in France and for those due to be played in the UK and Ireland. On the basis of this directive, EPCR had no choice but to temporarily suspend the pool stage of the Heineken Champions Cup and the preliminary stage of the Challenge Cup.
“While respecting all further directives by governments and local authorities, and prioritising the health and welfare of players and club staff, EPCR, in conjunction with its shareholder leagues and unions, remains committed to trying to find a solution which will enable it to resume and complete the tournaments as soon as practicable.”