Ulster’s final Champions Cup fixtures suspended

Ulster were due to face the English Premiership side at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday afternoon before making a trip to France the following Sunday.

But with the French authorities apprehensive about cross-border travel, the tournament has been temporarily suspended by governing body the EPRC.

The EPRC statement includes: “Following a directive from the French authorities that the participation of TOP 14 clubs in the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup at the current time constitutes too great a public health risk, EPCR has no choice but to announce on Monday, 11 January that the 2020/21 tournaments are temporarily suspended.

“Against the backdrop of the recent detection of a new strain of coronavirus, the French government has directed that French clubs postpone their participation in EPCR’s tournaments for the month of January, both for matches scheduled in France and for those due to be played in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

“On the basis of this directive, EPCR had no choice but to temporarily suspend the pool stage of the Heineken Champions Cup and the preliminary stage of the Challenge Cup.”

The EPCR also included it “remains committed to trying to find a solution which will enable it to resume and complete the tournaments”.

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