'The uncertainty created quite a bit of angst for a lot of people'
Dean Richards has given an insight into the anxiety that this week’s uncertainty over this Friday’s Challenge Cup match at Biarritz caused for the Newcastle players and staff. The Falcons are the first of the four UK clubs in action in France this weekend but it wasn’t until Thursday morning that they learned that the concerning travel restrictions across the Channel would be lifted.
Current French regulations had stated that teams would have to quarantine in France for 48 hours before their game and would also have to PCR test, creating fears that anyone who tests positive would be left stranded abroad for ten days.
Newcastle insisted they would not be travelling on Wednesday to comply with the 48-hour rule and it emerged on Thursday that the regulations would be changing on Friday morning in time for the match.
Travellers from the UK who are fully vaccinated will now be allowed to enter France if they have evidence of a negative coronavirus test taken within 24 hours of departure, while a requirement to isolate on arrival will be scrapped.
That has cleared the way for Newcastle to fly out on Friday morning, but Richards was still awaiting written confirmation that the regulations would definitely be changing when he addressed the media at lunchtime on Thursday.
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“We found out not so long ago (about the changes) but we are still waiting for confirmation and until you see it in black and white you are never sure but (we heard) just in the last few hours, to be honest with you… I am confident that the LNR is working closely with the French Government to make sure that it happens in a way that we can get there and back with as little fuss as possible and safely as well.
“The relaxation of the rules is being brought in Friday by the French Government and I welcome that entirely. It does mean we will be able to travel tomorrow a little bit easier than what we would have done before where we would have had to isolate for 48 hours and then test and run the risk of having to isolate further in France. That isn’t the case now.”
Richards was critical last weekend about the lack of clarity last surrounding travel for UK clubs to France, but the Newcastle boss has since mellowed. “You can sit down and moan about things, pick fault with things, but I don’t really want to do that. I just want to get on the flight tomorrow and play the game,” he said, adding that Newcastle wouldn’t be travelling if the restrictions weren’t lifted.
“We couldn’t have done, purely from the point of view of having to isolate for 48 hours and take a test. Because of the travel details, we would have been leaving ourselves open to losing a whole squad over in France for ten days had we got the scenario wrong, we might have had another ten days had we tested going into the Toulon game (next weekend).
“There was no clarity given on what isolation meant and what access to training facilities meant. It was certainly a non-starter from our point of view right at the beginning but EPCR and LNR were pushing hard all the way through and kept us abreast of that.
“We wouldn’t have made that early journey so there is no vindication, it was either we don’t go or we do go and these are the parameters we go within and are prepared to go within. There is no vindication, it’s nothing about that. It’s all about welfare, looking after the welfare of the people who are going and making sure we are safe and that we come back safely.
“We [Newcastle] sit down and talk about it on an hourly basis. You can only imagine trying to take 40 people to a place and not quite knowing whether you are going to go or not, whether you have got to fork out the expenditure to go or not or whatever.
“The uncertainty has created quite a bit of angst for a lot of people who deal with the organising but having said that LNR and EPCR have pushed all the way through and said, ‘We are trying our best and we will hopefully come up with the goods’. Full credit to them, they have done. It speaks volumes for the relationship the LNR have with French Government.”
The three Schengen visa players in the Newcastle squad are not involved this weekend, but Richards explained this wasn’t because of any red tape about getting them having to get additional necessary clearance to travel. “Sadly one has got covid and is injured, one is affected by family issues and then the other one is injured. We have absolutely no issues with that at all.”
That said, it has been an anxious time for the Newcastle players who are available to play but were left waiting on clarity until the day before the game. “For them, there were concerns about whether we were going or not. They needed to know from their lifestyle and their life point of view what to expect this weekend, as would anybody.
“But in terms of what is going on behind the scenes and the efforts that are being put in to get there, they have an understanding as to what those efforts are and who is doing work and at what times of the day people are up working until to make it happen. From their side of things, they just needed to know and that is the only worry that they had.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments