Toulon handed a 28-0 loss after refusing to fulfil Scarlets fixture

Scarlets have been awarded a bonus point victory over Toulon after the French club confirmed that they will not be fulfilling their round two Champions Cup fixture against the Welsh side that was set to take place on Friday 18 December. 

The French TOP14 club came to the decision after their President Bernard Lemaitre spoke extensively with EPCR Director General Vincent Gaillard. 

"He specified [Lemaitre ] that the sanitary conditions were not met to maintain the organization of this meeting, the health of the players of the staff and their families being paramount." a statement from the club read.

The statement from Toulon went on to say that the EPCR 'upheld its decision' for the game to go ahead and that 'faced with this state of affairs, the Rugby Club Toulonnais, although aware of the serious consequences, decided not to play this evening.'

The result was confirmed on Saturday with the following statement from the organising body of the competition:

EPCR have been informed by RC Toulon that the club will not be fulfilling their Heineken Champions Cup, Round 2 fixture against Scarlets, and the match is therefore cancelled.

Although a Medical Risk Assessment Committee was satisfied that the fixture, which was scheduled for yesterday (Friday, 18 December) at Parc y Scarlets, could go ahead safely, it was initially postponed following concerns by RC Toulon for their players and staff.

As has been previously communicated, RC Toulon were offered the opportunity to play the match at a later date during the allocated Round 2 weekend, however, that offer has not been accepted.

Following the decision to cancel, a Match Result Resolution Committee was convened today (Saturday, 19 December) to determine the outcomes of the Scarlets v RC Toulon fixture in the Heineken Champions Cup, as well as the Challenge Cup match between Benetton Rugby and Agen which has also been cancelled.

The committee, comprising EPCR Director General, Vincent Gaillard, EPCR Board member, Andrea Rinaldo, EPCR COVID-19 Manager, Tom Walsh, EPCR Chief Financial Officer, Anthony Lepage, and EPCR Head of Governance and Regulations, Liam McTiernan, considered the facts regarding the two matches.

In respect of the Scarlets v RC Toulon fixture in Pool A, Scarlets were deemed to be the winners and were awarded five match points on a scoreline of 28-0.

In respect of the Benetton Rugby v Agen match, it was decided that as Benetton Rugby had recorded a number of positive test results for COVID-19, the match could not be played safely. Agen were deemed to be the winners and were awarded five match points on a scoreline of 28-0.

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.

DECISIONS OF THE MATCH RESULT RESOLUTION COMMITTEE

Heineken Champions Cup
Pool A – Scarlets 28 (4 converted tries) RC Toulon 0
Match points – Scarlets 5 RC Toulon 0

Challenge Cup
Benetton Rugby 0 Agen 28 (4 converted tries)
Match points – Benetton Rugby 0 Agen 5