René Bouscatel is not angry: the president of the National Rugby League (LNR) believes that the European Cup is "
distorted and discredited
", as he explains to AFP the day after the cancellation of the Toulouse match against Cardiff, an "
unfair decision
".
And like Stade Toulouse the day before, he evokes legal remedies.
How do you react to the cancellations of the Toulouse and Bordeaux-Bègles matches?
René Bouscatel: These are two different cases.
For the UBB, it is the application of the rules.
With regard to Toulouse, on the contrary, it is the EPCR (the governing body of the European Rugby Cups) which decides to cancel a match by not respecting its rules.
This discredits those who made this decision but also the organizer and the competition itself.
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How did the EPCR break its rules?
The rules are that we apply the rules of the country of the host club. This match being played in France, it is the application of French health regulations. Our regulations are simple: the club must be able to present a competitive match sheet, with 23 players, including 15 professionals and six front-line players. When this is the case, we play. It is this regulation that should apply. In application of this protocol, the medical commission gave the green light for the Stade Toulousain match. We transmitted it to the EPCR which did not have to interpret. She had to apply the protocol she gave herself. But there, in an iniquitous, scandalous way, we decided to deviate from the rule to seek an opinion from another medical commission...But how can we change the rules? This decision has serious consequences: it is unfair, the competition is discredited and it creates an institutional crisis.
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So Toulouse could have played?
More than play!
According to the French protocol, which had to be applied, Toulouse could play with a competitive team.
All week, the club has taken precautions to ensure that this match takes place with a competitive team respecting all the health rules in France.
If this match was in Top 14, it was played.
This decision is iniquitous and outrageous.
We urgently requested a decision from the board, which confirmed.
It goes beyond inconsistency or incompetence, it becomes an institutional problem.
It is unacceptable for an institution not to respect its own regulations.
Do you question the legitimacy of the EPCR?
I do not question its legitimacy, I question its mode of operation.
We are going to consider all possible measures, we are looking at them from a legal point of view.
It is not limited to the result, we will make a complete study of the situation.
More than that, we want to completely overhaul the decision-making processes at EPCR so that things like this don't happen again.
For two years, we have been able to appreciate, or not, certain postponements but we applied regulations.
Read alsoCancellation of Toulouse-Cardiff: a “scandalous and unfounded decision”, protests the LNR
The Toulousains can have all the more a feeling of injustice that they played their two matches away.
You are pointing to a second malfunction of the EPCR. The first time, on the 2nd day, there was a government protocol which wanted that, if a player from a French club on the move tested positive, he found himself in isolation in Great Britain. During the Christmas period. In order not to expose their players, the French clubs have requested the postponement of these matches. The board granted this postponement. A few weeks later, this same board explained that it took the unanimity of the three shareholders to find a date, that it could not do so and that therefore the matches were not postponed but canceled. The French clubs find themselves with badly cut odds, a 0-0 draw and a split in points. It is unacceptable. If, at that time, the postponement is not granted,most clubs would have agreed to play.
You feel uplifted...
I hate injustice.
But let's be clear: I would defend a club other than Toulouse in the same way and even, with as much virulence, a British club if the same thing had been done to them.
We distorted the competition twice.
I defend the EPCR institution which has lost its credibility, but also the fairness and credibility of the competitions which is distorted.
I also defend French health rules and the medical commission.
This makes me furious !
