Covid-19 outbreak at Exeter Chiefs forces cancellation of Champions Cup matches

[ASFN Admin]

Exeter's Champions Cup defence is under threat following the cancellation of their fixture against Toulouse, scheduled for Sunday, after a number of Exeter players and staff tested positive for Covid-19. European Professional Club Rugby, the tournament organisers, confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that Exeter would not be able to send a matchday squad to France for the game this weekend, and that as a result the fixture had been called off. Glasgow Warriors' game with Lyon on Saturday has also been cancelled, given Glasgow faced Exeter last Sunday and as a result their players are now isolating, leaving the Scottish side also unable to field a matchday squad. The development comes as a major blow to the Champions Cup competition right at the start of the new season. EPCR will now convene their Match Result Resolution Committees to determine the results of the cancelled matches and the decisions of the committees will be communicated as soon as practicable. Should Exeter ultimately end up forfeiting the game against Toulouse then the club could suffer a 28-0 bonus-point defeat, as has been the case in other major tournaments throughout 2020 when fixtures have been cancelled as a result of Covid-19 outbreaks. That would damage Exeter's prospects of reaching the knockout stages of the competition, despite their 42-0 bonus-point win over Glasgow on the opening weekend. Teams in the altered pool stage for the 2020-21 Champions Cup face only two sides home and away, with the 24 participating sides split into two pools of 12, and the top four from each pool qualifying for the quarter-finals. Teams finishing between fifth and eighth will drop into the last 16 round of the Challenge Cup. All four teams affected by the cancellations are in Pool B, with Exeter currently tied at the top on five points with Lyon, Clermont, Toulouse and Racing 92. Exeter are next due to play in the Gallagher Premiership against Gloucester on Boxing Day, with the club now in a race to have enough players available for that fixture. A club spokesperson informed Telegraph Sport that players will undergo testing again next week and at this stage the club expect to play the Gloucester game.

Continue reading...