Farce.

Leinster Rugby will be absolutely furious if a report from the Times regarding last month’s postponed Champions Cup and Challenge Cup fixtures proves to be accurate.

The Irish province were set to take Montpellier last month but saw their game cancelled due to a raft of COVID cases in their team, despite Leo Cullen’s side being able to field a full 23-squad, with Montpellier awarded a 28-0 win.

Ospreys also saw their game with Racing 92 cancelled due to an outbreak with the French side once again awarded a 28-0 win. The following day, however, it was announced that all games between English and French sides would not go ahead, under orders from the French government.

These games were slated as postponed, rather than cancelled, but a fixture backlog across the entire rugby calendar has forced EPCR’s hand with all 7 games in both competitions now set to be recorded as 0-0 draws, with both teams in each fixture awarded 2 points each.

The postponed games included seven French sides, six from England and Wales’ Llanelli Scarlets. Here are the seven matches now set to be listed as draws:

HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP
Bath Rugby v La Rochelle
Sale Sharks v ASM Clermont Auvergne
Scarlets v Union Bordeaux-Bègles
Stade Toulousain v Wasps
Stade Francais Paris v Bristol Bears

EPCR CHALLENGE CUP
Worcester Warriors v Biarritz Olympique
London Irish v CA Brive

A very strange move indeed if the Leinster and Montpellier result stands, the same for Ospreys and Racing 92. Awarded bonus-point victories to the two French teams makes absolute no sense when every team is in the same boat doing their best to fulfill fixtures and manage this pandemic.