Cardiff Blues handed 28 points after Stade Francais withdraw

Cardiff Blues have been handed 28 points for their fixture against Stade Francais which was scheduled to play out today after the latter decided not to participate in light of a presence of Covid-19 amongst their players and staff.

The EPCR released the following statement:

"EPCR have been informed by Stade Francais Paris that due to the club’s concerns regarding the COVID-19 status of their players and staff, they believe it is unwise to fulfil their Challenge Cup, preliminary stage fixture against Cardiff Blues scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday, 20 December) at Rodney Parade, and EPCR have decided that the match should therefore be cancelled.

"Following the decision to cancel, a Match Result Resolution Committee comprising EPCR Director General, Vincent Gaillard, EPCR Board member, Andrea Rinaldo, EPCR COVID-19 Manager, Tom Walsh, EPCR Chief Financial Officer, Anthony Lepage, and EPCR Head of Governance and Regulations, Liam McTiernan, was convened today (Saturday, 19 December) to determine the outcome of the fixture.

"The committee considered all the factors and Cardiff Blues were deemed to be the winners, and were awarded five match points on a scoreline of 28-0.

"EPCR would again like to emphasise that blame was not considered as a factor during the deliberations, and the committee’s decision was made with a view to facilitating the completion of this season’s Challenge Cup in unprecedented circumstances."