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The Top 14's radically different approach to social distancing

23 Aug 2020

Fans wearing protective facemasks watch a scrum during a friendly rugby union match between Agen and Castres at The Stade Armandie in Agen, south-western France on August 14, 2020, ahead of the start of the Top 14 2020/2021 season. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)

While supporters across Europe are still getting used to the return of live rugby, images from France this weekend have shown a very different approach to social distancing. Unlike the Gallagher Premiership and Guinness Pro14, where games are currently being played behind closed doors, sporting events in France are permitted to have a limited attendance of up to 5,000 people.

Yet images shared on social media from a pre-season friendly between La Rochelle and Toulouse on Saturday appear to show a loose approach to social distancing.

While it would have been expected that supporters would be spaced out around the stadium, supporters were instead allowed sit in groups along the bottom tier of the main stand, with the upper half of the stand remaining empty.

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At one end of the ground another small stand was open on both the top and bottom tiers, with supporters again clearly allowed to sit together in large groups.

The game was played at the Beaublanc Municipal Stadium in Limoges, and although social distancing measures do not seem to have been enforced in the stands, most supporters appeared to be wearing face coverings.

Toulouse held a 7-0 lead at half-time thanks to a converted Cheslin Kolbe try, but took control after the restart to run out convincing 38-0 winners with further tries from Antoine Miquel, Maxime Marty, Matthis Lebel and Maxime Médard.

The 2020/21 Top 14 campaign is due to start on September 4, and the current 5,000 capacity limit is expected to remain in place until early October at the earliest, despite some calls to allow an increased attendance limit.

Coup d'envoi dans 5 minutes !
Vous pouvez suivre ce match #SRST via notre compte twitter, ou en direct sur @canalplus ! ??? pic.twitter.com/biEf0mfUTf
— Stade Toulousain (@StadeToulousain) August 22, 2020

Flexion, liez… JEU ? !
Les avants finissent leur échauffement par la mêlée ! #SRST ?? pic.twitter.com/9psbY3Ip4V
— Stade Toulousain (@StadeToulousain) August 22, 2020

Top of the main stand completely empty and the only other stand with supporters in is the one behind Toulouse pic.twitter.com/3X3HdLVXbb
— Illtud W. Dafydd (@IlltudDafydd) August 22, 2020

Dans le vestaire ou sur le terrain, la préparation s'intensifie avant #SRST ! ?? pic.twitter.com/3j1zUaAouE
— Stade Toulousain (@StadeToulousain) August 22, 2020

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Comments on RugbyPass

Tommy B. 12 minutes ago

Rassie Erasmus wades into heated debate over Jaden Hendrikse antics

🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

I’ll go with one more because it’s so funny but then I must stop. There’s only so long you can talk to the nutter on the bus.

There is no legal impediment in the GFA to ANY form of border. It’s mentioned very briefly and ambiguously but even then there’s a caveat ‘if the security situation permits’ which is decided by the British government as the border is an internationally, UN recognised formal border between sovereign states. Now, you can argue that this is because it was assumed it would always be in the EU context - but we all know the issue with ‘assumption’.

So, there was a problem for those that wanted to use the border to complicate any future British government changing regulations and trade arrangements through domestic legislation. Hence ‘hard border’ became ANYTHING that wasn’t a totally open border.

This allowed the EU and their fanatical Remainer British counterparts to imply that any form of administration AT the border was a ‘hard border.’ Soldiers with machine guns? Hard border. Old bloke with clipboard checking the load of every 200th lorry? Hard border. Anything in between? Hard Border. They could then use Gerry’s implicit threats to any ‘border officials’ to ensure that there would be an unique arrangement so that if any future parliament tried to change trade or administrative regulations for any part of the UK (which the EU was very worried about) some fanatical Remainer MP could stand up and say - ‘this complicates the situation in NI.’

You’ve just had a free lesson in the complex politics that went WAY over your head at the time. You’re welcome.

Now, I must slowly back out of the room, and bod you good day, as you’re clearly a nutter.

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Ed the Duck 33 minutes ago

Why the Gallagher Premiership is setting the gold standard in club rugby

Yeah, urc way more stable. You only have to look at Cardiff where, despite their own wobbles, the wru stepped in and ensured everything didn’t fall into bankruptcy. Currencies relatively simple to manage, F1 do it but the really interesting scenario would be if a Craig, Lansdowne, Altrad type came along and decided to really go for it in the URC!

117 Go to comments

PB 1 hour ago

Rassie Erasmus names 54-man Springboks squad with 9 uncapped players

Junior Boks last won the U20 WC in 2012. Won the WC in 2019 and 2023.

So where is the correlation?

Part of your answer is in that at U20 level the coaches are still balancing quota numbers.

Many fine young players end up playing for Euro clubs instead.

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fl 1 hour ago

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Cotgreave

2 Go to comments

SC 1 hour ago

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Does McKenzie have another sabbatical in his new contract?

9 Go to comments

SC 1 hour ago

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To be fair, I do not believe ALB or Havili should be selected for the All Blacks again. There are simply younger and better midfielders.

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SL 1 hour ago

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Like everything else with the Welsh team, they clung on to Jenkins for too long. He was a goal kicker foremost, distributor second and tactical kicking and running well down the order. He did well with Halfpenny but that was down to the player being dedicated and to some extent with Biggar. But place kicking has deteriorated in the last 5 years and tactical kicking and skills have been non-existent in the last 2 or 3 years. Jenkins’ role is no longer valid and he should be thanked and moved on.

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JD 1 hour ago

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They managed to nab Rayasi from Samoa I see, great coup.

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fl 1 hour ago

Rassie Erasmus names 54-man Springboks squad with 9 uncapped players

SA haven’t won it very frequently, but they’re equal 1st for SF appearances, and have finished in the top 3 more than anyone else. France were patchy at senior level before they began performing well in the u20s, and improved rapidly thereafter. There’s an extremely strong correlation between how good a team is at u20 level, and how good they are at senior level.

Its certainly possible that Rassie will pull a rabbit out of the hat and suddenly unearth a load of young talent, but there’s absolutely no evidence to suggest that that would be likely.

18 Go to comments

IkeaBoy 2 hours ago

Rassie Erasmus wades into heated debate over Jaden Hendrikse antics

NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!

You are a weapons grade moron!

A ‘hard border’ would refer to the only time a physical, manned border has or would have existed on the island. It could NOT be enforceable.

An armed British army presence on the Island can’t happen under the GFA and passing the border duties onto a police force would make them the legal definition of a paramilitary force!!!!

Even BORIS wasn’t so thick that he couldn’t grasp this! 😝

Correction - you didn’t have the largest empire in history. You LOST the largest empire in history!

You have a life? Do you have an empire?

584 Go to comments

Tommy B. 2 hours ago

Rassie Erasmus wades into heated debate over Jaden Hendrikse antics

2024 ‘race riots’? What are you banging on about? Hilarious for a country about to be split asunder and burning down asylum seeker hotels. Wonder if Conor McGregor will be your next President? Would just about sum you up.

I can’t carry on with this back an forth with two mental patients. Unlike you I’ve got a life.

584 Go to comments

Carlos 2 hours ago

Why Brumbies could be key to avoiding a Lions tour cricket score

Nick, it’s “finals” rugby. Drops are three points still. You should have at least three players that can drop kick from those distances.