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'It's disgusting': Toulon president slams decision to cancel his team's match at Leinster
Toulon owner Bernard Lemaitre has slammed the decision to cancel his team’s Heineken Champions Cup round of 16 match at Leinster less than five hours before the scheduled Friday evening kickoff in Dublin. The French club had declared a positive Covid-19 test in their squad to tournament organisers EPCR on Wednesday.
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There was no major issue with this at the time, EPCR giving Toulon the go-ahead to travel to Dublin minus the player who had tested positive. However, the outlook eventually changed and the match that was due to be played at the RDS was cancelled only hours before it was due to start.
French website rugbyrama.fr quoted a furious Lemaitre following the cancellation, saying: “It’s disgusting. The player tested positive on Wednesday and immediately isolated. The EPCR was immediately informed but let us go to Dublin for more than 24 hours and despite a total negative re-test of the players last night [Thursday] at 8pm, these people made this decision less than five hours before the match.”
It’s the second time Toulon have travelled for an away Champions Cup match this season only for it not to take place. Last December they had arrived in Wales to take on Scarlets but they never left Cardiff airport due to concerns over the integrity of the safety bubble surrounding the game.
EPCR blamed Toulon for that cancellation and awarded Scarlets a 28-0 win, and the boardroom outcome has been similar on this occasion. The French were again deemed to be at fault and were eliminated from the tournament, leaving Leinster to progress to a quarter-final next weekend away to the winners of this Saturday’s Exeter versus Lyon match.
EPCR have now explained the reason why the Leinster vs Toulon game is sadly not going ahead in Dublin#LEIvRCT #HeinekenChampionsCup
https://t.co/jUjOWBt19k— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 2, 2021
To defend themselves, Toulon have now published a statement on social media. It read: “Rugby Club Toulonnais learned this Friday with amazement of the decision to cancel tonight’s match in Leinster due to the presence of a positive case for Covid-19 in the red and black squad.
“While the PCR tests performed on the entire squad on Monday, March 29, all had negative results, the tests carried out on Wednesday, March 31, revealed a positive case, that of a frontline player of the RCT. In accordance with protocol, the RCT leaders then immediately notified the EPCR and the LNR. The player in question was placed in solitary confinement.
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“The EPCR responded a few hours later to ask further questions of the RCT doctor. The latter then answered the entire questionnaire submitted. The EPCR then requested ‘contact tracing’ for the player in question.
“The RCT provided it as soon as possible, specifying that the departure for Ireland was set for Thursday morning, April 1). The EPCR then analysed, with the support of an independent doctor, the ‘contact tracing’ file provided by the RCT.
“At the end (late Thursday afternoon), the EPCR asked the club to perform a new PCR test on the entire red and black squad in Ireland. These tests were therefore carried out last night in the Irish capital and all the results came out negative.
“Finally, the EPCR considered this Friday morning (a few hours before the match) that front row players were considered contact cases and that they could not take part in the match, offering the possibility of shifting the meeting to Sunday on condition of replacing the six front row players. An obvious sporting impossibility…
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“This is once again proof of the errors linked to the organisation of European competitions. The EPCR left the players and staff to travel to Ireland, prepare for the match, only to deprive them a few hours before kickoff of taking part in this major event. Rugby Club Toulonnais strongly deplores this decision and sends its thoughts to all its supporters who were impatiently awaiting this meeting.”
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— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 31, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
2 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
3 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
3 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to comments