1
Premiership Rugby announce points decisions for Christmas games cancelled due to COVID
By Online Editors
Newcastle Falcons and Bath have been awarded four points, while Leicester and London Irish pick up two apiece following a pair of Boxing Day cancellations in the Gallagher Premiership. Covid-19 outbreaks among the Tigers and Irish squads rendered the fixtures impossible and Premiership Rugby panel chairman Andy Higginson, chief executive Darren Childs and rugby director Phil Winstanley met to decide on the allocation.
Both games will be officially recorded as 0-0 scorelines, but with Newcastle and Bath handed victories while their opponents take half the points, which would typically be awarded for a draw. Newcastle head into the new year in second place as a result, with 16 points.
Leicester had returned what they reported as a “small number” of positive tests after their European Challenge Cup win over Bayonne, but contact tracing meant several more players were forced to isolate ahead of the festive fixture and the training ground was shut down as a precaution.
London Irish did the same after returning positives in their December 21 screening, with further individuals later showing symptoms. Their training ground reopened on Monday.
A Premiership Rugby statement was released on both verdicts, concluding in each case with the following message.
“The health and safety of players, staff, management, officials and supporters is our only priority, so the correct decision was taken to call the game off.”
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Jake White: Ireland, Australia and Wales have the same problem
3
David Campese names his Springbok world player of the year winner
4
Let's be real about these All Blacks
5
Latest Comments
Steve Borthwick appointment was misguided based on two flawed premises.
1. An overblown sense of the quality of the premiership rugby. The gap between the Premiership and Test rugby is enormous
2. England needed an English coach who understood English Rugby and it's traditional strengths.
SB won the premiership and was an England forward and did a great job with the Japanese forwards but neither of those qualify you as a tier 1 test manager.
Maybe Felix Jones and Aled Walter's departures are down to the fact that SB is a details man, which work at club level but at test level you need the manager to manage and let the coaches get on and do what they are employed for.
SB criticism of players is straight out of Eddie Jones playbook but his loyalty to keeping out of form players borne out of his perceived sense of betrayal as a player.
In all it doesn't stack up as the qualities needed to be a modern Test coach /Manager
Go to commentsBut still Australians. Only Australia can help itself seems to be the key message.
Blaming Kiwis is deflecting from the actual problem.
Go to comments