Premiership Rugby side Saracens' rearranged European Champions Cup game against Top14 side Clermont Auvergne "will be open to supporters after all," according to the PA. The game at Allianz Park was originally scheduled for Sunday but "adverse weather conditions around the stadium saw it called off." European Professional Club Rugby then announced that due to "health and safety concerns," the Pool 2 match would kick off at 5:30pm on Monday behind closed doors. But Saracens later announced supporters would "be welcome at Allianz Park after an assessment of the stadium facilities overnight" (PA, 12/11).
'TALE OF THE ABSURD': In London, Gerard Meagher reported Clermont Auvergne "lambasted" the situation around the "hastily rearranged" Cup match as "a tale of the absurd." Clermont complained that it had not been included in negotiations between the tournament organizers, EPCR and Saracens over when the match was to be played, accusing them of "messing about" their fans and treating them like "toys." In a statement, Clermont said, "The weekend should have been a rugby celebration between the two European finalists; whatever happens on the Allianz Park pitch this afternoon, it will remain yet another episode of the amateurism that sometimes affects our sport" (GUARDIAN, 12/11).
