Townsend: New date must suit
GREGOR TOWNSEND last night insisted Scotland’s postponed Six Nations fixture with France must be rescheduled for a date when he has all his top stars available. Sunday’s match in Paris was called off yesterday after Fabien Galthie lost another player — the 11th this week — following a coronavirus outbreak in Les Bleus’ squad. Reports initially suggested the game would be put back a
week — but that sparked frantic calls from Murrayfield to tournament bosses.
Townsend is worried that if the game is played during the Championship’s fallow week, he will be denied the services of ten top performers — including Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell — contracted to English and French clubs.
As next weekend lies outside of the international Test window, Top 14 and Premiership sides would not be compelled to release their players for Six Nations action.
Sportsmail understands that the French want the match played on Saturday, July 3 — the week after their domestic season ends — when some of his top stars will be away with the British and Irish Lions. France may also push for the match to be played outwith the international window, which would mean English-based players such as Jonny Gray and Hogg would not be available.
Other options being discussed by the Six Nations organising committee include rescheduling the game in the week commencing March 8 or over the weekend of March 27.
Townsend is adamant that, whatever page is circled in the diary, it must be one which allows him to name a full-strength line-up.
He said: ‘While we fully accept the decision of the Testing Oversight Group to recommend postponing our match against France on medical grounds, it is disappointing not to be able to play this fixture on Sunday.
‘We have had a good week with our players, who were focused and ready to represent their country in Paris and continue our progress in this year’s Guinness Six Nations.
‘Throughout this tournament, and the previous Autumn Nations Cup, we have worked hard to maintain strict Covid protocols which have enabled us to select our strongest possible teams for these important international fixtures.
‘We will wait to see what options are available to play this match against France, but it remains our position that we want to have all our eligible players available to us for that fixture, so we can compete to the level we would have done this weekend.
‘We wish all the French players and staff affected by Covid well in their recovery and look forward to playing them at a future date.’
The game has been in doubt all week as Galthie’s squad saw one top star after another test positive, with the head coach himself among a number of backroom staff also having to self-isolate.
Captain Charles Ollivon and Antoine Dupont, the 2020 Player of the Championship, were among the first to contract the virus, with prop Cyril Baille, hooker Peato Mauvaka, lock Romain Taofifenua and full-back Brice Dulin also testing positive on Monday.
Tournament organisers responded by ordering the French squad to undergo daily testing — before announcing on Wednesday that this weekend’s Stade de France fixture would go ahead as planned following a full sweep of negative results.
But less than 24 hours later, they were forced to postpone the Saint Denis showdown, with the entire Les Bleus squad placed into quarantine after the French Rugby Federation reported yet another player had contracted the virus.
Scottish Rugby Union chief executive Mark Dodson declared on Wednesday that Townsend’s team were ‘ready to go’.
But before the Scotland boss could even name his team for Sunday’s clash, it was called off yesterday.
The Six Nations said in a statement: ‘The Six Nations Testing Oversight Group met today to review the situation in the French camp.
‘They unanimously recommended the postponement of the France v Scotland match. This will be ratified later today by the Six Nations council.
‘We will be working on the rescheduling of this fixture and will communicate the date in due course.’
France were forced to suspend their training session yesterday morning after the latest positive result came to light.
In a statement, the FFR said: ‘Following the RT-PCR tests carried out this Wednesday, February 24 in the evening, and the appearance of a positive case within the squad of players, the FFR medical committee met this morning and decided to suspend training this day.
‘The entire group is in isolation in accordance with health protocol. The FFR is in close contact with the Six Nations committee.’
France currently top the Six Nations table after two rounds following a comprehensive win against Italy and a narrow victory over Ireland, both away from home.
Nine of the 23-man squad that beat Ireland 15-13 in their last game were since found to have contracted the virus.