Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

EPCR suspend all 8 European Cup quarter-finals

EPCR have postponed both the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) have announced that they are postponing the quarter-finals of the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup in reaction to the continued spread of coronavirus.

ADVERTISEMENT

With the Guinness Pro14, the French Top14 and Super Rugby all recently announcing decisions to suspend their leagues, EPCR have now followed suit by postponing eight games and suspending the European club rugby season.

EPCR have not stated when they expect the competitions to resume.

It is possible that the period of suspension may need to be extended for a longer period, should COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

“The Board of European Professional Club Rugby has decided that this season’s Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup quarter-final matches will not now be played on the scheduled dates of 3/4/5 April,” an EPCR statement read.

“Amid growing public health concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the decision was taken during a conference call today (Monday, 16 March) to postpone the eight matches on the weekend in question and to suspend the European club rugby season.

“While respecting all further directives by governments and local authorities, EPCR, in conjunction with the relevant leagues and unions, remains committed to trying to find a solution which will enable it to complete the 2019/20 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup tournaments at such a time as that aligns with preventative measures undertaken by an overwhelming majority of sport’s governing bodies and tournament organisers in Europe.

“EPCR’s priority is the health and welfare of players and club staff, and an update regarding the knockout stages of the tournaments will be communicated to all stakeholders as soon as practicable.”

ADVERTISEMENT

With so much uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 virus, there is also a chance that some leagues will be forced to cancel the conclusion of their seasons entirely, should postponements stretch further into the year.

The Gallagher Premiership is also expected to announce their decision to suspend the league shortly.

It is expected that this year’s Six Nations, which has seen a number of games postponed, will not be completed until October.

The Six Nations game between Wales and Scotland in Cardiff last Saturday was postponed just one day beforehand, joining the games between France and Ireland and Italy against England.

ADVERTISEMENT

Watch: Sharks coach Sean Everitt on going back the top of the table

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

H
Hellhound 1 hour ago
South Africa player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

There is this thing going around against Siya Kolisi where they don't want him to be known as the best national captain ever, so they strike him down in ratings permanently whenever they can. They want McCaw and reckons he is the best captain ever. I disagree.


Just like they refuse to see SA as the best team and some have even said that should the Boks win a third WC in a row, they will still not be the best team ever. Even if they win every game between now and the WC. That is some serious hate coming SA's way.


Everyone forget how the McCaw AB's intimidated refs, was always on the wrong side, played on the ground etc. Things they would never have gotten away with today. They may have a better win ratio, but SA build depth, not caring about rank inbetween WC's until this year.


They weren't as bad inbetween as people claim, because non e of their losses was big ones and they almost never faced the strongest Bok team outside of the WC, allowing countries like France and Ireland to rise to the top unopposed.


Rassie is still at it, building more depth, getting more young stars into the fold. By the time he leaves (I hope never) he will leave a very strong Bok side for the next 15- 20 years. Not everyone will play for 20 years, but each year Rassie acknowledge the young stars and get them involved and ready for international rugby.


Not everyone will make it to the WC, but those 51/52 players will compete for those spots for the WC. They will deliver their best. The future of the Boks is in very safe hands. The only thing that bothers me is Rassie's health. If he can overcome it, rugby looks dark for the rest of the rugby world. He is already the greatest coach in WR history. By the time he retires, he will be the biggest legend any sport has ever seen

4 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Lamb to the slaughter? Italy aim to 'get stuck into' All Blacks Lamb to the slaughter? Italy aim to 'get stuck into' All Blacks
Search