Toulon are considering appealing a decision to award Welsh club Scarlets a 28-0 bonus point win after the French side pulled out of a European Champions Cup match two hours before kickoff due to Covid-19 fears.
Scarlets had a player test positive for the virus after their away win at English club Bath, prompting Toulon to refuse to play their scheduled game at Llanelli on Friday (Saturday NZ time) despite Scarlets standing down the player and his close contacts.
Toulon also spurned an offer from European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) to postpone the game to Sunday (Monday NZ time), allowing time for the Scarlets squad to be retested for Covid-19.
EPCR have since awarded Scarlets a 28-0 win and five points.
An EPCR statement said: “EPCR would like to emphasise that blame was not considered as a factor during the deliberations, and the committee’s decisions were made with a view to facilitating the completion of this season’s Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup in unprecedented circumstances.”
Toulon officials said, in a 850-word statement, that they were considering an appeal.
“Without answers given to these questions, the Rugby Club Toulonnais considers that the position taken by the EPCR is irregular and is studying all possibilities of appeal,” Toulon stated.
“Rugby Club Toulonnais recalls that it had travelled with a very competitive team and a lot of ambitions in Wales. However, in order to preserve the health security of the players, the staff and their entourage, the decision not to participate in this meeting was necessary.
“The disappointment and the bitterness at not being able to play are great. The EPCR did not referee, during the whole week preceding the match, the health situation linked to this meeting with the two clubs and did so only a few hours before the match, forcing us to a heartbreaking decision.
“The RCT, through its president, has assumed its responsibilities. We would have liked the European rugby authorities to do the same …”
Scarlets’ New Zealand coach Glenn Delaney expressed frustration that the game was called off at such short notice.
“It’s a bit of a surprise at the moment,” he told BBC Sport. “You obviously build yourself up for games, and you can get a bit of deflation when all of a sudden it’s off. It’s quite rare for a game to be called off late, late, but we are not attributing any aggravation anywhere. The Toulon guys have made their decision, and they’ve moved on.”
Delaney – in his first season as head coach after replacing new All Blacks assistant-coach Brad Mooar – insisted Scarlets had “done everything correctly” according to Covid-19 protocols.
The 28-0 win leaves Scarlets unbeaten in the Champions Cup after their earlier win over Bath.
