Heineken Champions Cup: European body 'investigating' Ulster match move events
- Published
Ulster's game with La Rochelle on Saturday took place behind closed doors at the Aviva Stadium
European Professional Club Rugby [EPCR] says an "investigation is being conducted" into the events which caused Ulster's Heineken Champions Cup against La Rochelle to be moved to Dublin.
On Monday, Ulster said it and the competition organisers would "carry out a full review" into the affair.
On Tuesday, the EPCR said an investigation would be held "under the terms" of the competition's rules.
A statement added that Ulster "have been requested to co-operate fully".
Saturday's game with La Rochelle was played behind closed doors at the Aviva Stadium after being moved by EPCR on Friday night.
The EPCR statement said the investigation would seek to "ascertain the facts surrounding the relocation" of last weekend's game which the defending champions won 36-29 after leading 29-0 at half-time.
There were concerns over the Kingspan Stadium pitch after a week of freezing weather.
Ulster CEO Jonny Petrie had said the move cost Ulster "around £700,000" while the province's coach Dan McFarland added: "The bottom line is the decision was wrong."
Northern Ireland had experienced sub-zero temperatures in the build-up to the match at Kingspan Stadium and Ulster had used frost covers and heaters in attempts to preserve the playing surface.
Petrie explained on Saturday that match referee Luke Pearce had found parts of the pitch were still unplayable when he surveyed the surface on Friday afternoon around 14:00 GMT.
But with temperatures forecast to rise, the Ulster chief believed a "further inspection at 10 o'clock this morning would be a reasonable route to go down".
A "large official delegation" from La Rochelle was present at the match
The EPCR decided that "due to concerns over the safety of the playing surface" would be moved to Dublin and would be played behind closed doors, which took away home advantage, before the Aviva Stadium was confirmed to host the match on Saturday morning.
The match went ahead at the Aviva Stadium without any Ulster fans in attendance, but a "large official delegation" from La Rochelle was permitted to attend.
Petrie tweeted, external that the decision to allow the delegation entry was the decision of the EPCR and Ulster "would be subject to legal action for compensation if they weren't permitted entry".
Monday's Ulster statement said: "The team's focus is now firmly on preparing for next weekend's URC fixture against Connacht, so we will not be making any further comment at this time."
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