OPINION: EPCR set controversial precedent with Cheetahs v Ulster decision

Cheetahs coach and former Ulster player Ruan Pienaar chats with Ulster coach Willie Faloon and various Ulster backroom staff at Dukes Rugby in ‘s-Hertogenbosch on Sunday. Picture: John Dickson/Sportsfile via Getty Images European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) have set a controversial precedent after they awarded Ulster a bonus point win over the Cheetahs, after their Challenge Cup match was abandoned in the Netherlands on Sunday. Freezing weather during the week had seen the game, which was set to be played at the NRCA Stadium in Amsterdam, moved to ‘s-Hertogenbosch, after all fields in the capital city were deemed unplayable by the municipality on Friday.

But on Sunday just a few hours before the game, referee Kevin Bralley had a pitch inspection and deemed the field at Dukes Rugby Club also unplayable, leading to the postponement of the match. Later that evening EPCR sent out a press release,awarding Ulster a 28-0 bonus point windue to the abandonment, in part stating that: “It is the hosting club’s responsibility to ensure the match can go ahead.” That is where the controversy comes in, as not only is the weather completely out of the control of the Cheetahs, but as an invitational team they are forced to play their “home” matches in Europe, with Amsterdam in the Netherlands as their base, and if they were playing in Bloemfontein this wouldn’t have happened. This decision now has big implications should it happen again, as a team that aren’t the favourites could now walk away with full log points due to no fault of the hosting team.

Matches in the EPCR competitions have been postponed before, due to adverse weather and the horrible 2015 terror attacks in Paris, and were rescheduled on those occasions. But now a different precedent has been set and it will be interesting to see if EPCR will continue with this state of affairs. For instance, if this coming weekend’s match between the Cheetahs and Stade Francais in Paris were to be abandoned due to inclement weather, I feel the French hosts would kick up a fuss if the visitors were handed a 28-0 bonus point win.

[paywall]

Whatever the case, I think the EPCR have opened a big can of worms with this decision. It would have been better to reschedule or let the teams share the points.

[/paywall]