THE Board of European Professional Club Rugby, which runs the Heineken Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup, has announced that the quarter-final matches of both competitions will not now be played on the scheduled weekend of 3rd to 5th April in response to public health concerns related to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This means that Edinburgh’s second-tier Challenge Cup last eight meeting against Bordeaux-Begles at the Stade Chaban-Delmas has been postponed.
However, tournament organisers have insisted that they remain committed to finding a way of making sure both tournaments are completed this season.
“While respecting all further directives by governments and local authorities, EPCR, in conjunction with the relevant leagues and unions, remains committed to trying to find a solution which will enable it to complete the 2019/20 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup tournaments at such a time as that aligns with preventative measures undertaken by an overwhelming majority of sport’s governing bodies and tournament organisers in Europe,” said a statement issued by the tournament organisers.
“EPCR’s priority is the health and welfare of players and club staff, and an update regarding the knockout stages of the tournaments will be communicated to all stakeholders as soon as practicable.”
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