EPCR tournaments temporarily suspended

Glasgow Warriors’ two upcoming European Heineken Champions Cup fixtures against Lyon and Exeter will not go ahead as planned on Saturday 16 January and Sunday 24 January respectively.

Following a directive from the French authorities that the participation of TOP 14 clubs in the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup at the current time constitutes too great a public health risk, EPCR has announced today (Monday, 11 January) that the 2020/21 tournaments are temporarily suspended.

With the recent detection of a new strain of coronavirus, the French government has directed that French clubs postpone their participation in EPCR’s tournaments for the month of January, both for matches scheduled in France and for those due to be played in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

On the basis of this directive, EPCR has taken the decision to temporarily suspend the pool stage of the Heineken Champions Cup and the preliminary stage of the Challenge Cup.

In its statement EPCR said: “While respecting all further directives by governments and local authorities, and prioritising the health and welfare of players and club staff, EPCR, in conjunction with its shareholder leagues and unions, remains committed to trying to find a solution which will enable it to resume and complete the tournaments as soon as practicable.”

Reacting to the announcement head coach, Danny Wilson, said: “It’s unfortunate that we won’t be able to take on Lyon this weekend, however, the safety of all players, staff and members of the public should always come first.

“This season has been like no other and this is just another obstacle for us to overcome.”