Top14 side Montpellier "reaffirmed its commitment to contest the postponement" of its match against Racing 92, which was due to take place last Satuday, according to L'ÉQUIPE. In the context of the "planned merger between Stade Français and Racing 92, the latter decided to postpone its match against Montpellier." The National Rugby League (LNR) "approved the decision and warned all parties involved that the match would not take place." When the decision was formalized, Montpellier "expressed its disagreement, as the match was to take place in its stadium" (L'ÉQUIPE,3/21). The PA reported Montpellier demanded that France's rugby execs pay its "six-figure expense for Saturday's postponed match." Montpellier claimed that the LNR "forced them to prepare for their clash as usual." Now, the club is "seeking reimbursement for preparation costs and lost revenue." A statement from Montpellier said, "Last Friday we were forced by a unilateral decision of the LNR bureau, at the request of Racing 92, not to play Saturday night. Nevertheless, the referee asked us to be present at the time of the match as if the match were to take place. We are still challenging the rationale for the LNR decision" (PA, 3/21).
