RC Toulon assistant coach Jocelino SUTA, during a match against Bayonne in November 2020. -

Alain Coudert / sportsvisio / SIPA

The ax fell for Toulon: his refusal to face the Scarlets in the European Cup, affected by a case of Covid-19, cost him a green carpet defeat on Saturday, which risks compromising his chances of reaching the quarterfinals final.

With now four games canceled, the queen of the continental cups, reformatted to adapt to the health context, has the lead on the wing and this, from the second day.

The La Rochelle-Bath, Toulouse-Exeter and Glasgow-Lyon duels could not take place either, for reasons related to the coronavirus, with the consequences of success on the green carpet for the three French clubs.

The Toulonnais knew it ...

On the RCT side, the continental campaign started off well last Saturday, with success in front of the English de Sale (26-14).

But a week later, the Var club suffered a defeat without playing (28-0) which could weigh heavily in this new formula of competition where the slightest misstep can prove fatal.

Toulon had made the trip to Wales before, finally, deciding to withdraw on Friday, believing that “sanitary conditions were not met to maintain the match.

The European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), which oversees the European competitions, had initially postponed the meeting, proposing to the RCT to postpone it to Sunday.

"A lack of foresight" of the EPCR for the RCT

"However, this proposal was not accepted," said the organizer in a statement.

As a result, "the Scarlets were considered the winners and were awarded five classification points with a score of 28-0," said the EPCR.

There is "no chance" for Toulon to play on Sunday, Toulon president Bernard Lemaître said earlier in the day, who expected this decision on the green carpet.

The manager explained that the organizer's proposal "could not be accepted".

📰Press Release - SCARLETS / TOULON: Sanitary conditions not met for the holding of the match.https: //t.co/n9xgKuDaBT

- RCT - RC Toulon (@RCTofficiel) December 18, 2020

"After the dozen of contact cases in the Bath team following the (last) Scarlets match (Saturday 12 December on the English club's ground), the EPCR had the duty to take matters into hand from Monday to take the necessary measures and extinguish the natural fears of the RCT.

It is a lack of foresight (…) of which we are victims, ”explained Bernard Lemaître.

The Coronavirus-positive Scarlets player had been in close contact with twelve players from Bath and as a result, the EPCR had decided to cancel the European Cup match scheduled for Saturday between La Rochelle and the English club and to grant a victory (28-0) to the Rochelais.

But the Scarlets-Toulon match, scheduled for Friday, had been maintained.

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