Paris (AFP)
After more than six months without playing, the Top 14 clubs find the grounds on Friday in uncertainty, between threats of postponement, such as that of the opening match Stade Français-UBB, partial gauge and overloaded schedule.
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A strict health protocol
A postponement rather than packages.
"Our main idea is that the matches are played. At this stage, there is no need to cancel matches, to make irreversible decisions", explained Paul Goze, the president of the LNR, to from AFP.
For now, therefore, a match will be postponed if three cases are found within the professional group of the same club.
The League could, according to AFP information, change its mind in the event of an overflow of postponements.
For the first day, the meeting between the French Stadium and Bordeaux-Bègles, which was to open the season on Friday at 8:45 p.m., was postponed Tuesday by the NRL.
Those between Lyon and Racing 92 (Saturday 6:00 p.m.) or Clermont and Toulouse (Sunday 9:00 p.m.) also seem to be in the hot seat.
To avoid the void, the League, the organizer, and Canal +, the broadcaster, have also postponed Saturday matches, just to ensure two posters on Friday and Sunday evenings.
So Friday night, Montpellier-Pau will finally open the ball.
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A "deadly" gauge
With the maintenance of the gauge at 5,000 people in the stadiums until October 31, Paul Goze assures him: "our clubs are in danger".
According to the calculations of the NRL, "over the first two months, that is to say the first six matches", this loss amounts to between 30 and 35 million euros for all the clubs of Top 14 and Pro D2.
Hard to swallow for an economy which depends approximately 60% on "match day income" (ticketing, hospitality, partnerships ...).
The League, as well as representatives of club presidents, are received Tuesday in Matignon, by the chief of staff of the Prime Minister, to obtain guarantees from the State.
According to AFP information, they are demanding exemption from charges between June and November.
The first good news fell in the week for Brive, against Bayonne (gauge increased to 9,000), and La Rochelle, against Toulon (gauge to 8,000).
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An overloaded schedule
The championship barely launched, it will have to make way for the European quarter-finals (September 18, 19 and 20), which concern six French clubs: Toulouse, Clermont and Racing 92 in the European Cup;
Bordeaux-Bègles, Castres and Toulon in Challenge.
Then will come the international break ... The XV of France does not yet know how many matches he will be able to play.
Clubs are willing to extend the fall window to five dates over five weeks, one less than the FFR wants.
But against whom?
An "Eight Nations Tournament" was scheduled, with Fiji and Japan as guests.
The competition, supposed to take place between October 24 and December 5 (in addition to the France-Ireland 2020 Tournament on October 31), has been on the edge since the "Cherry Blossoms" announced their intention to not to travel to Europe.
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The Brennus in play
After all that, we almost forget that there is a rugby season to play after a white season, without champion or relegation.
The Toulouse Stadium is thus the last team to have raised the shield of Brennus.
"But that was two seasons ago now. It's in the past," said South African Cheslin Kolbe.
Who to succeed the Rouge et Noir, crowned in 2019, then?
The UBB, untouchable leader at the time of the end of the season (13 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses), will want to resume its forward march, despite the loss of the Semi Radradra steamroller.
Racing 92 and its XXL squad, reinforced by the arrival of Australian superstar Kurtley Beale, seems armed for the finals.
Just like the Toulouse stadium of Kolbe or Clermont and the Japanese attraction Kotaro Matsushima, the last finalists of the Top 14, even the MHR and its Pollard-Reinach hinge of world champions.
© 2020 AFP