Champions Cup 20/21 - Round of 16

[TRF_Olyy]

What a **** show,
Should absolutely be a 28 - 0 walkover win for Leinster


I'll leave my "Can't believe Leinster get to go to the next stage without winning" joke until it's a bit less raw

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Ugh. Was looking forward to thiat

 

[Leinster Fan]

Well at least we finally got the Toulon duck off our backs...

This is pretty disappointing, even if it does improve our chances of winning the cup. Given the injury situation and the fact we're coming off some really tough games it isn't any harm but it's still a pity.

Most devastating of all, we can't laugh at Sale anymore.

 

[munstermuffin]

Well we are ready and Thomond looking mighty fine.

On Leinster. Hearing it will likely be Toulon thrown out BUT big questions with my medical hat on:
Why is test result only confirmed few hours before. Should have been yesterday
If it isn't a Leinster win then Leinster could be punished with gruelling schedule which isn't good for an older team. And I mean that in a respectful way.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Most devastating of all, we can't laugh at Sale anymore.

AJ MacGinty starting more European knockout games than any Leinster player this season

Your club is a shambles

 

[Wasps92]

Absolutely gutted, was really looking forward to watching it.

 

[RedruthRFC]

On Leinster. Hearing it will likely be Toulon thrown out BUT big questions with my medical hat on:
Why is test result only confirmed few hours before. Should have been yesterday

Wasn't it confirmed on Wednesday? It seems strange (and a huge waste of money) that it took EPCR until a few hours before kickoff to nix the match

 

[Groundhog]

Joke if Leinster don't just get the walkover

 

[Wichita]

Joke if Leinster don't just get the walkover

I am not a Toulon fan myself, but still a very strange sequence of events there.
Toulon warned the EPCR on Monday about a positive case, the EPCR gave the OK for the team to travel to Dublin and play providing a test on Thursday is negative. Negative test, the match still stands. then five hours before kickoff, the EPCR warns that 6 Toulon players will be considered contact cases and cannot play.
The fact that those 6 players have travelled and trained with the team all week should not be lost on anyone.
The fact the six players mentioned are all the front rowers available for Toulon must not be either.
So 5 hours before the game : sorry, all your front rowers are not allowed to play. But the match is still on, you can bring on your under 20 front row, providing they can jump on a plane to play on Sunday. Against Leinster, yes. Of course, they have been in the bubble for the last two weeks. They were not. What a pity ! What about your U17 ? What about the senior team ? We are so sorry, but we EPCR cannot allow this match to go on, you will have to forfeit...
If you recall what happened between the Scarlets and Toulon in the first stage, this is just ridiculous...
I am not sure Leinster, Exeter, Wasps or even Toulouse would have to face the same bullying.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Good win, need more points on the board and energy next week though.

 

[Groundhog]

Leinster officially get the win

 

[Wichita]

Leinster officially get the win

Once again I am not a Toulon supporter, but the way this is managed by the EPCR is beyond disgraceful...

 

[Groundhog]

Don't think the EPCRs reaction would have affected this outcome. Toulon had a case and potential close contacts. They may have been inconvenienced by having to come to Dublin but the game had to be cancelled.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Even though I'm fairly sure we'll win and I'll go absolutely mental and be totally stubborn when it's mentioned, there has to be an asterisk next to the winner of this comp. Should really retroactively rebrand it after.

 

[Reiser99]

Don't think the EPCRs reaction would have affected this outcome. Toulon had a case and potential close contacts. They may have been inconvenienced by having to come to Dublin but the game had to be cancelled.

The result may be the same, but this whole season the EPCR have looked clueless when it comes to covid incidents.

 

[Wichita]

The result may be the same, but this whole season the EPCR have looked clueless when it comes to covid incidents.

Toulon fury after Covid case sees Leinster Champions Cup tie cancelled

Toulon have reacted angrily following the 11th-hour decision to cancel their Champions Cup game against Leinster in Dublin

www.theguardian.com

 

[RedruthRFC]

I am not a Toulon fan myself, but still a very strange sequence of events there.
Toulon warned the EPCR on Monday about a positive case, the EPCR gave the OK for the team to travel to Dublin and play providing a test on Thursday is negative. Negative test, the match still stands. then five hours before kickoff, the EPCR warns that 6 Toulon players will be considered contact cases and cannot play.
The fact that those 6 players have travelled and trained with the team all week should not be lost on anyone.
The fact the six players mentioned are all the front rowers available for Toulon must not be either.

Who is reporting Monday? I've only read Wednesday (from multiple sources).

Don't get me wrong, this is a lash up, but given the limited details available at the moment, it seems a stretch to start apportioning blame. It's easy to spin the facts available to paint either EPCR or Toulon in a bad light though.

Assuming the positive test was reported on Wednesday......

On the one hand you could argue that Toulon were wildly irresponsible for flying close contacts of a known positive to another country in the knowledge that they wouldn't be able to play.

On the other, you could say that EPCR were wildly irresponsible for not prempting this and pulling the plug on the fixture within hours of being notified.

Is there no requirement in French law for close contacts of someone who has tested positive to self isolate? You would be in England and this requirement can't be overridden by a negative test.

On the plus side, it's nice to see people within rugby starting to understand what an incubation period is at its implications.

 

[Wichita]

Editing.....

Bernard Lemaître, président de Toulon : « Un sentiment de dégoût » après l'élimination en Coupe d'Europe (Rugby)

Le président du RCT Bernard Lemaître est très remonté contre la décision de l'EPCR d'annuler le huitième de finale de Champions Cup, prévu ce vendredi.

www.lequipe.fr

 

[RedruthRFC]

Bernard Lemaître, président de Toulon : « Un sentiment de dégoût » après l'élimination en Coupe d'Europe (Rugby)

Le président du RCT Bernard Lemaître est très remonté contre la décision de l'EPCR d'annuler le huitième de finale de Champions Cup, prévu ce vendredi.

www.lequipe.fr

I'd hoped you wouldn't notice my post until I redrafted it, but thanks for the article. I've added a few more points to my original post. According to my schoolboy French, that article says Monday too doesn't it?

 

[Wichita]

I'd hoped you wouldn't notice my post until I redrafted it, but thanks for the article. I've added a few more points to my original post. According to my schoolboy French, that article says Monday too doesn't it?

Your schoolboy French reads mercredi as Wednesday, quite rightly so, congrats!
Still the EPCR should have said at the time : considering this Covid case, the match cannot take place as originally scheduled. Not give the thumb up for travelling to Dublin and maintain the Friday night fixture providing the players all test negative on Thursday, then say 5 hours before the game that some players will not be eligible, ie the whole Front row. This is at best amateurish (why just those 6 and not the whole team who travelled and trained with them?) and maybe even less flattering.

Let us get over it, Gloucester - La Rochelle should be quite entertaining don't you think?