Call-off, Covid outbreaks and that hearing has made it a week to forget

IT’S not been a great seven days for the Six Nations. Covid outbreaks, a postponed match and a disciplinary hearing that seemed to last all week! Of course, there was always a risk attached to running an international tournament in six countries in the midst of a global pandemic, with a virus constantly mutating and spreading.

We saw how the Autumn Nations Cup was disrupted when Fiji had a number of positive cases and, only last week, a Premiership game between Newcastle and Worcester was called off due to an outbreak at the Falcons.

Against this backdrop, the Six Nations organising committee should have had protocols and contingencies watertight before the start of the tournament so that everyone involved — from players, coaches and medics to referees and broadcasters — knew exactly what was expected of them.

More importantly, they would know the consequences if they breached any of the protocols.

I know first hand how many hoops we had to jump through to be allowed to broadcast at BT Murrayfield.

I have heard how stringent and strict Scotland have been within their squad bubble and I imagine it’s been the same with Ireland, Wales, England and Italy.

But some of the stories coming out of France would suggest there have been a number of breaches — and that is unacceptable to me if they are proven to be accurate.

Everyone who’s working in the Six Nations is in a privileged position.

They are being allowed to do their jobs when millions of others are not due to the pandemic.

The first free weekend of the Six Nations was always going to be a pressure point, with potential for outbreaks, as players, coaches and medics left their squad bubbles to go back to their family homes.

So, this is when the behaviour of individuals had to be even more careful.

The latest positive case within the French camp, which meant the whole squad had to self-isolate for ten days, rules out next weekend — which is a free weekend — for the rescheduling of the France-Scotland game.

Who knows when this game will be played now, with the rugby calendar so congested and so much politics attached? One date mentioned has been July 3, but this is a non-starter for me as it’s scheduled to be the day the British and Irish Lions play their first game against the Springboks. Now, clearly, that tour is in jeopardy due to Covid in South Africa, but it could yet be moved to the UK and Ireland.

No doubt several of Gregor Townsend’s men will be included, so we’re facing a prospect where Scotland, the innocent partner in the original postponement, will play France, the guilty partner, without some of their best players?

This is nonsensical and it’s why contingencies should have been laid out and made clear before the start of the Six Nations.

The European club tournaments were very clear: if you can’t fulfil a fixture, you concede the match 28-0. This didn’t really work as Glasgow were ultimately victims of having to quarantine after playing an Exeter side who had a number of positive cases. The English Premiership have adopted an outcome where the team who have caused the cancellation through Covid receive two match points and their opponents four points.

I think rescheduling the France-Scotland game is almost impossible without compromising the integrity of the match.

So, if Fabien Galthie’s France are proven to have breached strict Covid protocols, then Scotland should be awarded the points. If they haven’t breached protocols and have just been unlucky, then we could be looking at next season — maybe even as late as November — before we get to see the Scots play in Paris.

If it is delayed to November, then at least Zander Fagerson will be available again as his disciplinary hearing might have finished by then!

What a shambles that has been. Scotland appealed the ban he received for being sent off against Wales, agreeing that it was foul play but shouldn’t have warranted a red.

For me, it did as his arm was tucked into his side and he made contact to the head.

I thought the Six Nations would throw out the appeal and maybe even extend the ban, which has happened in the past when an appeal has been lodged.

In a strange week, however, they upheld the decision of a four-game ban but allowed Glasgow’s matches in the fallow weeks of the Six Nations to count. Games that Fagerson was never, ever, going to play in.

What a mess — but it kind of sums up the week for the Six Nations.