Rugby

Leinster delay flight to Montpellier as Covid cases leave match in the balance

Cullen’s squad looks to be skeletal after positive tests with opponents in same boat

Leinster’s Scott Penny during training ahead of the Champions Cup match against Montpellier. Photo: Ben Brady/Inpho

Gerry Thornley's face
Gerry Thornley
Wed Dec 15 2021 - 20:51

Although Leinster have delayed their charter flight to Montpellier for their Heineken Champions Cup game in the GGL Stadium on Friday night (kick-off 8pm), the province are still intent on bringing a squad to the French city with a view to playing their second round game as scheduled.

The province’s charter flight was due to depart from Dublin Airport at 2pm on Thursday and they are holding onto the option of travelling to Montpellier on either Thursday evening or the day of the game. This is despite an unspecified but significant number of positive tests for Covid-19 within their ranks and pending the results of a further round of PCR tests.

Leinster have 67 players registered with the EPCR, a figure they did not feel needed to be increased last week after the tournament organisers extended the deadline until last Wednesday. This extension was in light of the difficulties faced by Munster, Cardiff and the Scarlets following the restrictions placed on their squads when in South Africa as that country was red-listed.

The Irish Times has learned that an estimated 35 players were in training on Wednesday at their base in UCD, and that Leo Cullen and his management staff are fully intent on bringing a matchday squad to Montpellier.

READ MORE

However this hinges entirely on the latest round of PCR tests within Leinster and whether all are returned with negative results. If so, then Leinster will be in a position to travel with a matchday squad to Montpellier, and would most probably prefer to do so on the evening before the match.

That said, mindful of the need to give participating teams more flexibility in these challenging times, the EPCR have eased the stipulation on away sides having to travel the day before the game, meaning Leinster could fly a squad to Montpellier on the morning of the match.

As with the Scarlets declaring they were unable to fulfil their fixture against Bristol last weekend, Saracens notified the tournament organisers on Wednesday that they could not put together a squad for their Challenge Cup fixture away to Pau next Saturday. Accordingly, as with Bristol last week, the EPCR awarded Pau a 28-0 bonus point win.

However, the Montpellier-Leinster tie is altogether more complex as there have also been five confirmed cases of Covid among the French club’s playing squad. As the French club have 69 players registered for the tournament, at first glance this would not appear to imperil their chances of fielding a matchday squad of 23, particularly for a home tie.

But Montpellier are also awaiting the results of a further round of PCR tests and there has also been speculation that, akin to Clermont not playing Kotaro Matsushima and George Moala against Ulster last week, there may be some unvaccinated players among the Montpellier squad.

The Midi Olimpique rugby website has gone so far as to suggest the fixture is “therefore strongly threatened”.

There is also, of course, the added complication of this being a cross-border match-up, which brings public health officials in Ireland and France into the equation.

Leinster and Montpellier have been in dialogue with each other and the tournament organisers and it could be a case of waiting to see which of them blinks first. In the event that they blink simultaneously, and it is established that neither side can fulfil the fixture, the EPCR could cancel the game and subsequently decide on the result, there being the option of awarding a draw and two match points apiece.

Should the game go ahead, it’s clear that Leinster will be seriously weakened. While far from scientific, judging by both footage and photographs of Leinster’s training in UCD, they are operating with a somewhat skeletal squad and there could be a number of significant absentees.

A precedent has been set by Cardiff and Munster who, despite being severely compromised by lengthy lists of absentees, were both adamant they would pitch up for their games against Toulouse and Wasps, and duly did so.

There hasn’t been quite the same stated level of determination coming out of Leinster or Montpellier, and although both would normally announce their teams at noon the day before the match, Cullen’s team announcement video conference an hour later has been cancelled.

Some 48 hours before the scheduled kick-off, it would still appear that the game will go ahead, although ultimately whether or not it does seemingly hinges upon the results of their respective final rounds of PCR tests.