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Sale now have 27 positive tests, match versus Worcester forfeited

07 Oct 2020

(Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

Premiership Rugby have confirmed that it has cancelled Wednesday night’s Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Sale Sharks and Worcester Warriors. The round 22 match is awarded 20-0 to Worcester Warriors with the Warriors given five league points.

On Tuesday, all Sale Sharks players and staff members in the testing pool were tested for Covid-19 as part of the Premiership Rugby weekly programme. On Wednesday, the results returned from the Randox testing laboratory confirming that an additional six players and two staff from Sale had tested positive for a Covid-19 ahead of the now-cancelled game with Worcester.

All were immediately placed into isolation for ten days. This means that there are 27 positive tests at Sale in the last seven days and due to the size and severity of the outbreak, Premiership Rugby and Sale are in close contact with Public Health England.

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Premiership Rugby chief executive Darren Childs said: “I have spoken to Sale Sharks this morning and neither the club or Premiership Rugby will take risks with people’s health. Together we won’t compromise our commitment that matches will only happen if it is safe to do so, therefore the game is off. Today’s decision demonstrates that commitment.

“Our first thoughts are now with those at the club, both players and management, who have tested positive and we wish them a speedy recovery. We mustn’t forget we have a significant number of people at one of our clubs with Covid-19, and we will give the Sharks all the support they need.

CLUB STATEMENT | Sale Sharks forfeit their Gallagher Premiership Round 22 match with Worcester Warriors on health and safety grounds.
Read more below ?https://t.co/tKIBOOUVdZ https://t.co/tKIBOOUVdZ
— Sale Sharks ? (@SaleSharksRugby) October 7, 2020

“We know everyone at Sale will be devastated, and we share their disappointment that their season ends this way. But we can’t jeopardise the health of any players, staff or management at any of our clubs. This is why we took action at the weekend to prevent the match going ahead on its original date, and again today to cancel the game.

“We all love rugby and want it to thrive and grow but sport has to be put in perspective compared to the devastating effects of Covid-19. We aren’t prepared to take unnecessary risks with people’s health.

“We stated there was no room in the calendar for matches to be postponed but last weekend the health of everyone involved took precedent to ensure the Sale squad could be tested again, following the initial positive tests. Those concerns were proved today when we saw an additional eight positive tests. People fight hard for points in Gallagher Premiership Rugby, and for a place in the semi-final but everyone agrees this has to take second place to people’s health and well-being.

“Covid-19 has created the biggest challenges rugby has ever faced, as it threatens the future of the game, but with this case resolved, it is now crucial we now look forward to two compelling Gallagher Premiership Rugby semi-finals on Saturday, which are followed by two of our clubs contesting European Finals the weekend after and our season ending on a high at Twickenham Stadium on October 24.”

As required under the professional game board’s minimum operating standards, Sale will now complete their contact tracing and will isolate any contacts (of those players who tested positive) for a period of 14 days. An independent audit, by the RFU, of the track and trace processes at Sale is also being undertaken. With Worcester now handed the points from the game with Sale, Bath have qualified for this weekend’s semi-finals.

The Gallagher Premiership Rugby semi-finals line-up is now:
Saturday, October 10
1.30pm: Wasps v Bristol Bristol Bears
4.30pm: Exeter Chiefs v Bath Rugby

Another man down… https://t.co/34SKqVoCOM
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 6, 2020

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Comments on RugbyPass

YeowNotEven 12 minutes ago

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Would have been awesome to have a Bledisloe ANZAC game.

It would suck if they had it in Perth every year though. Gotta get it to Eden park.

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Spew_81 15 minutes ago

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Love should get some time at 10. He’s clearly got the ability to be a second playmaker, but primarily at 15. Some time at 10, even just standing at first receiver, will only help his playmaking skills. He set up two tries with good distribution.

He kicks goals well. He could be a second B Barrett. But keep his main position at 15.

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SG 52 minutes ago

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England have absolutely no need for him. Tom Willis and Ben Earl are better with a much higher work rate.

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JW 1 hour ago

'Ulster, though no one wants to admit it, isn't much more than a development province right now.'

No full games on the IRU YT channel unfortunately, all on subscription? Looks a fairly good level (1A).

Yes I mean I wouldn’t really know the local ratio of origin here, but certainly as a province with less resources mine has a ratio that veers heavily towards club rep. The club stories are often the best so get probably an imbalanced proportion of coverage to where most players actually come from though.

Those were a couple of Ulster (regional) clubs too, good good. Those clubs/size towns are very much where you find most talent coming from (compared to the big city), so your productivity depends very much on your systems in place for scouting talent. With the more wealthy and popular sport of NRL (hence more info out there) I’ve seen some interesting studies on player origins in this respect, which I think would be a very balanced base of data to draw conclusions from.

Yes I’m wondering how those names as examples compare to the likes of Bryne getting squeezed out for a lack of places. I’m only thinking of effects far down the line as a result of Irelands #1 ranking and increased publicity/interest and how Irelands system will take advantage of them.

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GP 1 hour ago

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Regarding the Crusaders side . Great to see promising young lock Jamie Hannah back in the starting team. He has certainly been through the mill since debuting for the Crusaders, even before playing for Canterbury. All his hard work has paid off. Antonio Shalfoon , who has been rested for this match has been amazing locking with AB captain Scott Barrett. I really rate Jamie Hannah as one of the best young locks of which there are a few coming through. Including his Canterbury and Crusaders team mate Liam Jack. Father is Graham Jack ,he played for Canterbury and the Crusaders in the 1990’s. Older brother of Chris, who of course was an All Black.

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Andrew Nichols 1 hour ago

All Black's England switch hanging by a thread

Gloucester are in the market for a top-class replacement ..Well why would they then be talking to HS?

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Utiku Old Boy 1 hour ago

All Black's England switch hanging by a thread

I include Cunningham-South. He was born in England but moved to NZ at 4 yrs and learnt his rugby there. His dad was a schoolboy coach. In recent years, Teimana Harrison was - as was Brad Shields.

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GB 1 hour ago

All Black's England switch hanging by a thread

Cunningham-South was born in the UK but raised in NZ.

Makes a good point, wouldn't walk into the English set up.

Better to roll his sleeves up and play himself into the ABs

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Spew_81 1 hour ago

Rugby down under could have hit high gear with Anzac Tests

Not sure what the ethical issue is. If it’s going for the money, it’s either do that or NZ rugby slowly dies as all the better players leave. So it’s the more lesser of two evils. Sell out a bit more as a Union, or the players sell out one by one.

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Spew_81 1 hour ago

Rugby down under could have hit high gear with Anzac Tests

Yes, the team was similar. But the two locks made a huge difference. Kaino wasn’t a lock and Tuipolutu has only very recently started playing close to his potential (his work rate was terrible until recently).

The Irish lineout maul wouldn’t have been the weapon it was on that day if Hansen started Whitelock and Retallick (or even two proper locks). Though they wouldn’t have been guaranteed to win.

Doing the new haka when the Irish were mourning a great of theirs didn’t help. The action at the end of that haka has been interpreted negatively and some see it as a but disrespectful.

Still if the All Blacks did their normal haka they wouldn’t have been guaranteed to win.

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Koro Teeps 1 hour ago

All Black's England switch hanging by a thread

Absolutely no certainty he would make the current English squad. He’s not in the All Black conversation either. Physical, explosive player with ball in hand but sometimes struggles to impose himself fully on all aspects of the game.

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DC 2 hours ago

All Black's England switch hanging by a thread

Who are the Kiwis (plural)? The only one I can think of is Ethan Root.

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Gradier Walter 3 hours ago

Don't get out over your skis on the Highlanders