The governing body managing the competition could open an investigation. South African club Pretoria would be in the sights of the EPCR for “non-respect of the integrity of the competition’ Lyon lost 59-19 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, a week after dominating Bordeaux-Bègles in the Top 14 (27-10).
And this didn't shock anyone. The SUA had clearly announced, before this match, that the championship was its priority. Not to mention Castres Olympique which, for many seasons, has rotated its squad into the Champions Cup, the competition clearly not being a priority for the Tarn club. In January 2002, SU Agen was suspended for one year from participation in the European Cups and fined 100,000 euros for letting a match against the Welsh from Ebbw Vale (59-10) in the Challenge Cup. At the top of its group and well placed to reach the quarter-finals, the Lot-et-Garonnais club had conceded a sufficient number of tries (at least eight, nine in total) for the Welsh to move ahead of them.