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This is what the EPCR had to say about Bruce Craig's replay request

Bath players dejected after Champions Cup defeat to Toulouse. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

The EPCR have responded to Bath owner Bruce Craig’s request that their Heineken Champions Cup game against Toulouse be replayed.

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The match will be remembered for fullback Freddie Burns late blunder under the posts but Craig felt that his side were let down by officiating at The Rec.

“I think the game should be replayed,” Craig told The Times, “and we will do what we can to get equity.”

Craig believes that the ref blew the final whistle several seconds too early, which stopped Bath from taking a crucial lineout which could have led to them losing the match.

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Craig also added that Jerome Kaino and Lucas Pointud should have been red carded during the game. Both players were cited and subsequently banned.

“This is the European Cup, there are massive sporting and financial implications,” Craig told The Times. “Bath have been majorly disadvantaged.

“This isn’t sour grapes, because maybe we wouldn’t have won the game, but that is not the issue.”

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Now the EPCR have had their say on the matter.

“It has been reported in the media that the match referee, Andrew Brace, blew the full-time whistle three seconds before the 80 minutes had elapsed, however, this is incorrect,” the EPCR said in a statement.

“Although the television match graphics indicated that 79 minutes and 57 seconds had elapsed when the match ended, the official stadium clock which was visible to players, club management and to spectators, clearly displayed that 80 minutes had elapsed.

“Once Andrew Brace received confirmation in his earpiece from the Official Timekeeper that time was up, he blew the final whistle.

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“EPCR accepts that the disparity in this instance between the official time and the time shown on the television match graphics caused some confusion, and ways to avoid any similar situation in the future will be carefully considered by the tournament organiser.

“The result of the Pool 1 match stands.

Watch: Join RugbyPass employee of the month runner-up Sam Smith as he embarks on an epic journey across Europe to track down some of the finest Kiwi talent

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J
JW 1 hour ago
Why England's defence of the realm has crumbled without Felix Jones

This piece is nothing more than the result of revisionist fancy of Northern Hemisphere rugby fans. Seeing what they want to see, helped but some surprisingly good results and a desire to get excited about doing something well.


I went back through the 6N highlights and sure enough in every English win I remembered seeing these exact holes on the inside, that are supposedly the fallout out of a Felix Jones system breaking down in the hands of some replacement. Every time the commentators mentioned England being targeted up the seam/around the ruck or whatever. Each game had a try scored on the inside of the blitz, no doubt it was a theme throughout all of their games. Will Jordan specifically says that Holland had design that move to target space he saw during their home series win.


Well I'm here to tell you they were the same holes in a Felix Jones system being built as well. This woe is now sentiment has got to stop. The game is on a high, these games have been fantastic! It is Englands attack that has seen their stocks increase this year, and no doubt that is what SB told him was the teams priority. Or it's simply science, with Englands elite players having worked towards a new player welfare and management system, as part of new partnership with the ERU, that's dictating what the players can and can't put their bodies through.


The only bit of truth in this article is that Felix is not there to work on fixing his defence. England threw away another good chance of winning in the weekend when they froze all enterprise under pressure when no longer playing attacking footy for the second half. That mindset helped (or not helped if you like) of course by all this knee jerk, red brained criticism.

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