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Autumn Nations Cup organisers working desperately to save fixtures after Fiji squad Covid-19 outbreak

Sam Matavesi leads Fiji off the field following their RWC loss to Wales in Oita (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

The Autumn Nations Cup organisers are working with the Fiji squad and the French Rugby authorities to identify how many players have tested positive for COVID-19, which has serious implications for the start of the eight team tournament.

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It is understood that between five and seven Fiji players tested positive at their training base in Limoges where they will be for the next two weeks. Fiji were scheduled to play Portugal in a warm-up game on November 6 but this has been shelved.

Fiji’s first match in the Autumn Nations Cup is against France on 15 November followed by Italy on 21 November before travelling to Murrayfield to play Scotland in the final round on the 28 November.

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Richie Mo’unga talks to media after his ripper performance in Bledisloe III

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Richie Mo’unga talks to media after his ripper performance in Bledisloe III

With Fiji, under new coach Vern Cotter, based in France, the FFR are heavily involved in trying to ascertain the number of players involved and further tests are due next week to help clarify the situation. In a statement the Autumn Nations Cup organisers said: “The Autumn Nations Cup testing oversight group has been notified of positive cases in the Fijian squad that have been placed in isolation as per required protocols.

“We are working closely with the Fijian rugby union and the FFR, given that Fiji’s base camp is in France, on appropriate measures and await further test results next week.”

John O’Connor, the Fiji RFU chief executive, is expected to issue a statement shortly about the reports of positive tests amongst the squad.

Cotter, assistant coach Glen Jackson and seven players in his Flying Fijians squad were involved in the Barbarians match preparations to face England which saw the game cancelled a week ago after 13 players left the team “bubble”. Those players are now awaiting a Rugby Football Union hearing with possible bans and fines likely, but the seven Fiji players did not leave the hotel and followed protocols. However, it has not been revealed if any of the seven have now been involved in the positive tests.

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The majority of the Fiji squad are based in France where strict lockdown measures have been imposed to try and stem the increase in those being affected by the pandemic and organisers will want to know early next week if there is a significant problem with the Pacific Island nations squad which has already seen key players such as Semi Radradra and Pecili Yato ruled out by injury.

Cotter took over as head coach of Fiji in January but due to the pandemic only had charge of his first full training run with his players on Friday at the Beaublanc Stadium in Limoges. The squad includes Leicester wing Nemani Nadolo who has come out of retirement and fellow backs Ben Volavola and Levani Botia.

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JW 20 minutes ago
Scott Robertson explains the new halves pairing for the All Blacks ahead of France

More indecision and excuses from Razor.


You've given a spot at 6 to Finau whom you haven't even had the courage to use off the bench in the last two games. Now the young enforcer is going into a big much with no rugby, we should expect a similar result to how Aumua struggled to impact a game after he'd hardly been given any chances of the bench either.


Weve now dropped a back three player who also wasn't even given any game time off the bench for someone coming in cold when they really need to have been playing constantly to perform at their best. There are just so many better pictures that should have been present rather than this mickey mouse selection.


I really hope Finau can overcome this, it won't be the first time he's had to. How is the bench even made up? Could you not just have included these changes in the article as well? I actually like BB coming back in, it highlights how courageous he is after sitting out through another concussion that could just as easily sent him back into months of symptoms again.


Dmac was also off his game last week, as was Ratima, with the poor platform Razor and his team have been setting the players up with. He needs to freedom to clear his mind from the clutter that saw him make so many bad decisions last week. It will still probably be a net loss for the team performance not having him on from the start but it should be better for them in the long run if he's allowed to just come on late and play his game trying to claw things back for the team.


With Roigard starting that might prove an outlet for the team to actually get on top first however. Along with Ardie busting a gut in his new role and emptying the tank by halftime, and being replaced by another new star, might mean that Dmac is just icing on the cake at the end.

12 Go to comments
F
Flankly 46 minutes ago
Jake White: If I was England coach, I’d have been livid

I am not an England fan, but still very disappointed at what Borthwick is serving up. Regardless of winning or losing, they should be executing the basics at a world class level. That was the reason they replaced Eddie with Steve. After two years England has not built the solid foundations that the RFU were presumably after. Its hard to see it as anything other than a coaching problem.


Having said that I really hope that Rassie has got his team fired up for the game. The Boks at maximum intensity and with no crises (eg red cards) would be expected to win this game. But it does not take much reduction in pressure for Bok teams to lose. The Boks lose when complacency sets in.


On Felix Jones, my guess is that they can't agree on a non-compete so they kept him on payroll for the duration of the Nov tests. The risk was that he would be hired by Rassie or Razor prior to the tests.


As relates to law tweaking, it feels like WR are more comfortable discussing changes in laws than insisting on implementation. For my money the biggest thing they could do is to be strict and consistent in officiating ruck behavior. In every game we see flopping, lazy lying, clearing of unbound players, making plays while off your feet, delays in placing the ball, side entry, offside line infringements, and similar nonsense. It's really really bad, and the WR attitude seems to be that we should turn a blind eye in pursuit of "flowing rugby". In truth it's just boring, because it randomizes the outcome.

9 Go to comments
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