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'We are extremely disappointed' - RFU suspend Saracens' final regular season game
By Ian Cameron
The RFU have taken the decision to postpone Saracens' final game of the regular Championship season with Hartpury.
A victory over Hartpury would have forced Ealing Trailfinders into second place in the RFU Championship table as they head into a two-leg play-off with their West London rivals.
A statement reads: "The interim decision to postpone the fixture has been taken by the Rugby Football Union after a number of Hartpury University players tested positive for COVID-19 and several other players are now isolating as close contacts.
"The decision follows the detailed medical protocols in place to ensure that the health and wellbeing of all players and support staff is protected.
"An RFU Disputes Committee will meet ASAP to determine next steps for the fixture.
"We will keep all supporters informed via the Saracens website and email."
Russell Marchant, the Vice-Chancellor of Hartpury University and the Chairman of the rugby club commented: “We are extremely disappointed that our young squad could miss the chance to play against some world class players, an experience that will provide them with special memories. We await the outcome of the Disputes Committee.
We regret the need for this decision, which is based upon a small number of positive cases within our squad. Unfortunately with a significant rise in local and national cases this week, this was always a risk. However we are pleased that our strong testing programme successfully detected these cases, preventing spread to the Saracens players and beyond.”
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Latest Comments
Vaai is finally having his breakout year getting comfortable and showing great form at lock, and there are form players and experience all across the backrow, why on earth would you drop him to 6. Ridiculous
Go to commentsSo far, the All Blacks have won 8 matches out of 11 this year. That is a near 73% win rate. AB fans and, I assume, the team itself are not content with that and have everything to play for with the remaining 3 tests this year.
Their historical average is something like 77% these days and, although some years will always be better than others it is not likely to drop that dramatically to 70% any time soon. There is too much historical inertia on the stats. It is like saying Ireland’s form of the last 10 years or so is likely to reverse a historical average of 48% wins soon. It just isn’t.
Moreover, when you say they are ‘doomed’ to a 70% flatline are you not just assuming that Ireland will beat them again? How did that work out for you last time?
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