Paris (AFP)

Granting four victories on the green carpet in the European Rugby Cup, after cancellations of matches for reasons related to the coronavirus, was "the least bad solution", said Vincent Gaillard, general manager of the ECPR, organizer of the competition , Sunday in an interview with AFP.

Q: Can we consider that the classification is distorted?

A: "We are obviously sorry about what happened this weekend but safety is paramount. It's really too early to say that this will distort the competition. The first weekend, intact, went very well. past. And I am hopeful that weekends 3 and 4 will pass in better conditions. Unfortunately, weekend 2 was impacted. But I have no regrets about the decisions taken in a concerted manner and on the basis of the sanitary rules. I have a big regret on the other hand on the Scarlets-Toulon match. It is a rather deplorable attitude of the RCT (forfeit). We take note and it will certainly not spoil the rest of the week -end and the great matches that we have seen. So far we have managed the Covid situation rather very well. The 2019-2020 season had been impacted but it ended very well with the victory of Exeter, far from 'to be a champion at a discount ... That weekend (December 19-20) is the black spot so far. Award points to the team that was not im

pact was the least bad solution. "

Q: Is it really impossible to postpone matches beyond the weekend they are scheduled?

A: "Unfortunately, we don't have the flexibility of the domestic championships, like the Top 14 which does it very well. We have the possibility of postponing during the same weekend, which we had proposed to the RCT, by shifting the game from Friday to Sunday. This can even be done on Monday, when it can help resolve a situation as long as it does not impact the following weekend. We can organize this kind of postponement to very short term but beyond that it is impossible. The schedule does not allow it. "

Q: Toulon considered in particular that the number of contact cases within the Scarlets was not clear ...

A: "The club took a position on the basis of incorrect information, by no means on facts. The facts were examined by an independent medical commission. This commission determined that the match could be played without risk. There was only one reported case and this player was immediately isolated. In an identical situation, the match would have taken place in Top 14. There was no debate. What I find disappointing is that 'fears were answered by proposing a postponement of the game to Sunday. This would have allowed the Scarlets to be tested, who were not obliged to do so, as their situation was clarified. It would also have allowed the RCT to replace players who would have preferred to withdraw. Unfortunately, the offer was declined. We had no choice. "

Q: How to understand that the Scarlets-Toulon match was maintained while the La Rochelle-Bath match was canceled because twelve Bath players were in contact with the positive Scarlets player?

A: "It's very different. What led us to cancel the other game was simply that the health authorities had determined, in the case of Bath, that there were contact cases, that they had to be isolated and the club found itself unable to field a team. The cancellation made sense. "

Q: The Scarlets have claimed to have isolated contact cases without specifying the number ...

A: "The fact remains that almost the entire Scarlets squad has tested negative and so have the players opposite. This has been reviewed by doctors who have established that the situation was acceptable. Things were done within the rules. "

Interview by Ludovic LUPPINO

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