Heineken Champions Cup: Scarlets awarded 28-0 'win' over Toulon cancellation

Scarlets have been handed a 28-0 'victory' in their cancelled Heineken Champions Cup match with Toulon.

It means Glenn Delaney's side are awarded five match points and have two wins in the tournament.

The game had been called off less than two hours before kick-off after Toulon had pulled out.

The French side cited concerns about a Scarlets player testing positive for Covid-19 after playing against Bath last weekend.

Scarlets had withdrawn the player and his close contacts from training before naming their side to face Toulon. The action satisfied European rugby organisers but not Toulon's management.

Bath's match with La Rochelle was called off because the English club said they had 12 players self-isolating after being in close contact with the Scarlets player last weekend.

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) and Scarlets offered Toulon a postponement until Sunday to allow the hosts' squad to be retested for coronavirus.

A Toulon statement on Friday said the French club learned of Scarlets' situation on Thursday, adding that they were "aware of the serious consequences" of deciding not to play.

An EPCR statement said: "EPCR have been informed by RC Toulon the club will not be fulfilling their Heineken Champions Cup fixture against Scarlets and the match is therefore cancelled.

"Although a medical risk assessment committee was satisfied that the fixture, could go ahead safely, it was initially postponed following concerns by RC Toulon for their players and staff.

"As has been previously communicated, RC Toulon were offered the opportunity to play the match at a later date during the allocated Round 2 weekend. However, that offer has not been accepted.

"Following the decision to cancel, a Match Result Resolution Committee was convened today. Scarlets were deemed to be the winners and were awarded five match points on a scoreline of 28-0.

"EPCR would like to emphasise that blame was not considered as a factor during the deliberations, and the committee's decisions were made with a view to facilitating the completion of this season's Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup in unprecedented circumstances."

Toulon are considering appealing the decision.

A Toulon statement said: "EPCR didn't arbitrate, during the week before the match, the health situation connected to the meeting with the two clubs and only did so some hours before the meeting.

"It forced us into a harrowing decision. Toulon consider the decision taken by EPCR as irregular and are studying all possibilities of an appeal."

It was the fourth Champions Cup game to be cancelled in the second round of matches, with Lyon, La Rochelle and Toulouse handed victories over Glasgow, Bath and Exeter.

All sides in the tournament agreed to forfeit matches if fixtures could not be fulfilled because of coronavirus.

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