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Exeter issue Covid testing all-clear after 5am Wednesday start
Exeter boss Rob Baxter has confirmed his Chiefs have been given a clean bill of health following the latest round of Covid-19 testing of his double-chasing squad ahead of Saturday’s Champions Cup decider in Bristol.
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The English side, who will also play in the October 24 Gallagher Premiership final, were tested on Tuesday ahead of the European showpiece against Racing and the results that came back were all-clear for them to continue uninterrupted with preparations for their first-ever Champions Cup final.
Baxter revealed Exeter had no concerns in their playing group ahead of a Thursday morning EPCR meeting between the finalists that would be convened if either club reported any positive Covid tests.
Racing had nine positive tests in their camp in the week following their semi-final win over Saracens. That resulted in their Top 14 match at La Rochelle being postponed but they were back in action last Saturday against Toulouse with a dozen of the matchday 23 that had featured against Saracens.
“We are aware they had a large number of Covid tests and we haven’t heard any more since then,” said Baxter. “We’ve got a medical review meeting planning Thursday morning but that will only go ahead if there are numbers of Covid tests with both teams.
England winger's injury has healed just in time for showpiece https://t.co/xeaKXmcqK7
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 14, 2020
“We haven’t got any, I don’t mind saying that. So the reality is that meeting will only go ahead if Racing have done some further testing this weekend and have got any further issues. I can’t tell you here and now, I don’t know.
“What they have done training-wise, I believe they have been in a camp in Corsica to prepare. A large amount of the squad went last week pre the game – this is me only reading the press. A group went to Corsica and none of them attended the actual game against Toulouse.
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“There were some front-line players involved and I assume they have met up and have trained fully with the group in Corsica in semi-isolation. I can’t say any more than that training-wise.
“I imagine they have moved into a pretty good training base and the sessions would have been relatively similar to a standard training week. I can’t tell you any more than that. We certainly haven’t got a spy in the camp and we certainly haven’t been able to pick up any more information than that.”
Baxter added it was a nervous wait early morning on Wednesday to hear that his squad were in the clear from Covid. “We get tested on a Tuesday morning and we don’t start hearing the results until today – they started coming through at about twenty-past-five in the morning.
“I can tell you for a fact that virtually all the staff are sat there by their phones by five o’clock because it’s the thing that flips everything.
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“Immediately if you have a positive test come in you have got to start straightaway dealing with not only how you would change selection if some of your frontline 23 start going down, but also you have to start track and trace procedures. It’s always an interesting period of time and it has got more interesting as we have got to bigger and bigger games.”
'I had it in my head I wanted to coach because I was only 23 and thought I was going to be finishing up with injury'
– Ex-Munster scrum-half @mikeprendergas3 on the adversity that ignited his @ChampionsCup final journey with @racing92
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— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 11, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Sometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe 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 👍
3 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 comments