LAST UPDATE | 4 Jan 2021
TOP14 CLUB BAYONNE yesterday announced that they will not participate in their remaining European Challenge Cup fixtures after a spike in Covid-19 cases within the club following their round two defeat to Leicester.
Bayonne say they have detected the new, more contagious strain of the Coronavirus which has been widespread in England and so they will not travel to Leicester for their return clash with the Tigers on 15 January. They will also sit out their scheduled home match against Zebre on 22 January.
Leicester announced two positive cases of their own after that round two encounter and their subsequent game against Newcastle was cancelled. Bayonne have already seen two Top 14 games, against Castres on 27 December and Pau on 2 January, postponed, with this Friday’s match against Toulon now “highly compromised”.
The Basque club have now pencilled in a return to play on 30 January against Agen, after a break of almost six weeks.
Bayonne’s withdrawal from European competition comes as RMC Sport report that French clubs are pushing for a change in pre-match testing protocol, from six days to three days prior, while the same publications suggests there are also murmurs of a boycott of European games.
Meanwhile, a statement released this evening by the EPCR Medical Advisory Group read: “It can be confirmed that no club participating in the Heineken Champions Cup or Challenge Cup has officially informed EPCR of any intention not to fulfil their remaining fixtures in the 2020/21 season.”
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