Leinster have expressed disappointment that they have been forced to forfeit their Heineken Champions Cup clash with Montpellier.
Heineken Champions Cup bosses have informed the Blues this evening that they the French club have been awarded the five points on offer in a 28-0 victory.
It leaves Leo Cullen's side facing an uphill battle to make the last 16 of the tournament now.
And it is a massive blow to the province after Cullen named a matchday squad at noon today for the trip, and after the Blues rescheduled their departure to Montpellier from earlier this afternoon to tomorrow morning.
In a statement released tonight, the province said: "Leinster Rugby team management has expressed its disappointment with EPCR over the decision to award a 28-0 win in Montpellier’s favour.
"The Leinster Rugby squad and staff have had five rounds of Antigen tests and four rounds of PCR tests in the last six days and a group of players and staff, who have all come through each stage of those tests, had been selected to represent the club in France tomorrow evening and arrangements made accordingly.
"As a result of these test results and the measures implemented by Leinster Rugby, a letter was issued today, Thursday, 16th December 2021, to Leinster Rugby from Public Health Ireland confirming that the group could travel to France for the game.
"At all times Leinster Rugby has complied with all measures and protocols required of the club by EPCR, and by the HSE, and will continue to do so.
"While we are disappointed with the outcome of today’s decision by EPCR, our focus now is the health and well-being of all our players and staff and we would like to put on record, as a club, our sincere thanks to Prof. John Ryan and all the medical team supporting those players and staff."
Leinster had hoped that if the game was called off that it would be awarded as a draw and that both clubs would be awarded two points.
However EPCR say that an independent medical expert has decided that the number of positive Covid-19 cases in Leinster's camp is the cause of the game being called off.
It is believed that Montpellier have not had any Covid positive cases in their playing camp since Monday, but Leinster have had a number throughout the week on top of the positive results for three senior players last week ahead of their opening win over Bath.
Talks have been ongoing throughout the day regarding the viability of playing the match.
Both clubs announced matchday squads at noon today, with Leinster set to give Jamie Osborne a European debut from the start and with four other potential debutants on the bench.
French clubs are to meet EPCR this evening to determine whether their games in Britain or against British clubs can go ahead in the light of new French government legislation regarding travellers from Britain that comes into force at midnight on Friday.
The EPCR statement reads: "Following a meeting of an independent Match Risk Assessment Committee, EPCR has been advised that the Heineken Champions Cup, Round 2 fixture between Montpellier Hérault Rugby and Leinster Rugby scheduled for tomorrow (Friday, 17 December) at the GGL Stadium cannot go ahead safely.
"The contest in Pool A is therefore cancelled with Montpellier Hérault Rugby awarded the match on a 28-0, five match points basis, in accordance with the Tournament Rules.
"The Match Risk Assessment Committee, made up of medical doctors from EPCR’s Medical Advisory Group as well as an independent medical specialist with experience in virology, advised EPCR of its concerns following new positive Covid-19 test results from the Leinster Rugby playing squad, and regrettably the decision was made to cancel the match.
"EPCR would like to acknowledge the efforts by both clubs to fulfil the fixture, and would also like to emphasise that awarding the match to Montpellier is a tournament management measure with the objective of ensuring that all fixtures in the 2021/22 Heineken Champions Cup are accounted for, and not a sanction."
