The government and the French Rugby Federation concluded on Friday in an investigation report into the outbreak of Covid-19 contamination in the ranks of the XV of France that no health rule had been violated.

They agreed, however, that the rules would be tightened.

The Blues are to meet on Sunday, and will play their next match against England on March 13.

The "waffle scandal" ends in a general acquittal: the investigation report on the outbreak of Covid-19 contamination in the XV of France establishes that no health rule has been violated, the federation concluded together on Friday and government.

The Six Nations Tournament match against Scotland on February 28 had to be postponed after the appearance of 16 cases in the workforce, including 12 players and four management members, including coach Fabien Galthié.

>> READ ALSO

- Six Nations Tournament: the XV of France dreams of the coronation despite the Covid-19

"Nothing that does not deserve blame"

The latter had been implicated for having come out of the health bubble to attend a match of his son on February 7.

Players had also been spotted enjoying waffles in the streets of Rome ahead of the match in Italy (50-10 victory on matchday one).

Nothing that deserves blame, ruled the Minister in charge of Sports, Jean-Michel Blanquer, under the approving gaze of the president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), Bernard Laporte.

The health protocol was "well developed" and "respected", according to the government official.

"Nobody (it) has violated", added Bernard Laporte.

>> READ ALSO

- Covid: five outstanding questions after the cluster of the XV of France

"Now, no more leaving the hotel"

Accompanied by the Minister for Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, however, they agreed that the rules would be tightened.

"Now, no more leaving the hotel": "it's belt and suspenders," warned Bernard Laporte, who has always defended his coach since the start of the affair.

The XV of France, who has not played since his victory in Dublin on February 14 (victory 15-13), finds himself Sunday in Marcoussis for his match against England on March 13.

Roxana Maracineanu had asked the boss of the FFR for this internal investigation, while asking the Ministry of Health, to shed light on the outbreak of the virus in the French ranks and determine the chain of contaminations.

The Minister Delegate, who had worked for the authorities to accept the holding of matches for the Six Nations tournament, did not hide her annoyance.

>> READ ALSO

- Covid within the XV of France: "There was lightness, negligence, even incompetence"

Fabien Galthié cleared customs

The report exonerates Fabien Galthié in particular: "he is not the patient zero", the president of the medical commission of the FFR Roger Salamon had already said Thursday on RTL.

For the FFR, the virus entered the Blues via a player from the France team at seven, requested for the training of the quinzistes in Marcoussis.

But the Federation has not always made this speech.

Several version changes

"Our only certainty is that no player of the XV has been contaminated by a player from France 7, since the positive cases of this week are transmissions within the group XV of France", had affirmed Serge Simon, vice -President of the FFR and "Covid manager" of the Blues in an interview with the Midi Olympique newspaper on February 22.

And to assure: "the patient zero, we know him, he is our physical trainer."

This physical trainer was the first positive case communicated by the FFR on February 16 before Galthié, first considered as a "suspicious" case, was diagnosed positive the same day.

"In view of the version changes to which we have been entitled in recent days, it would have been much preferable to have an independent and external audit (at the FFR)", estimates Florian Grill, leader of the opposition to the management committee of the FFR.

Fourth tricolor cluster

The president of the Ile-de-France League stresses that this is the fourth cluster for tricolor rugby after the contaminations in the ranks of the women's XV of France in the fall, of the under 20s in January and therefore of the septists.

"I don't think it was marked in the protocol that players could go out to eat waffles. Or if they go out to eat waffles, they had to be retested when they re-entered the bubble on contact. others, "Roxana Maracineanu had estimated on the Equipe channel.

These players have been retested on returning, Laporte replied on Sunday on France 3. But wasn't that taking a risk in view of the incubation period of the Covid-19?

"We can be + positive + in the fifteen days following contact. It is a fairly devilish virus," said infectiologist Eric Caumes, member of the medical commission of the FFR, on Friday.

For comparison, the American basketball player from Sacramento Richaun Holmes had to observe ten days of isolation last July after having recovered an order of "chicken wings" (chicken wings) outside the "bubble" of the NBA.