Leinster progress to quarter-finals after cancelled game against Toulon

The European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) has confirmed that Leinster have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Heineken Champions Cup following the cancelled fixture against Toulon.

The game was scheduled to be played at RDS Arena in Dublin on Friday but was called-off after an unnamed forward was tested positive for Covid-19 in the testing earlier in the week.

Even though the French club reported all negative result upon their arrival in Dublin, the EPCR on Friday morning deemed that all the front row players to be close contact of the positively tested player and asked Toulon to bring in new forwards for the match with an option to postpone the fixture on Sunday.

“Following the cancellation of the Heineken Champions Cup, Round of 16 fixture between Leinster Rugby and RC Toulon due to health and safety concerns for players, club staff and match officials alike, the result of the match has been decided by a Match Result Resolution Committee,” read a statement from EPCR.

“The committee, comprising members of the EPCR Management team, with EPCR Board members, Andrea Rinaldo (FIR) and Robert Howat (SRU), as observers, considered the facts regarding the cancelled match today.

“Following medical advice that the match could not be played safely, RC Toulon were unable to select a match day squad after it was deemed that the club had a number of high-risk close contacts with one of its non-travelling players who had tested positive for COVID-19.

“Therefore as RC Toulon could not fulfil the fixture, the committee decided under the terms of EPCR’s COVID-19 protocol that Leinster will progress to the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals on the weekend of April 9.”

Leinster now have qualified to the quarter-finals and will face the winner of the encounter on Saturday between Exeter Chiefs and Lyon.