Toulouse's August home games against Batley and Halifax have been cancelled.

As I posted on the Toulouse thread, if Halifax had their players vaccinated at the earliest time for their age, they wouldn't be able to do that + the 2 week extra time before their game. Batley on the other hand could have done by their game. The Statement from RFL gives little indication they have bothered to investigate whether players will have been doubled jabbed or not. If Batley & York have not sorted this, I would suggest that is as good as saying we're not going so should face the penalty as Broncos. Sure they will find a way not to send York in September though.

Don't expect the club to kick up a stink though, which they should.

Catalans refuse to travel when they only had 4 cases.....the limit is 7. The RFL say it's all good.....we couldn't be any more of a tin pot sport if we tried!
I doubt the rfl would have a leg to stand on if we threatened legal action, but doddery Dave and his zoo won't bother....too busy dreaming of plough lane

Interesting comment, if Halifax had there players vaccinated at earliest opportunity.
Raises an issue in sport general, an employer currently cannot legally force anyone to be vaccinated. Football are seeing it where players are choosing not to be vaccinated. RL players cannot be forced to take the vax, why they would choose not to is beyond me, but does pose a problem for the game

As for catalan, that then becomes a French issue, players although not positive have been in contact with someone that is positive, legally they cannot travel

It is not really a problem, teams can play each other whether vaccinated or not. It only becomes a problem where you have differing national rules ie France. Everyone 20 & above was offered a jab from 1st or 2nd week in June depending on their age. If players choose not not vaccinate & therefore unable in this case to meet both French & English regulations, that club should be held responsible for the game not going ahead. As I said previously, Halifax's game came few days too soon so their game should have been cancelled. For Batley that is not the case. If Batley were affected by having a ton of non vaccinated players so unable to meet the rules for travel, the club must be held responsible. That would mean forfeiting the game 24-0 & 2 points deducted. The RFL have just waived it away.

Throuought this pandemic SL/RFL have shown themselves to be as transparent as wood. There appears to have been no investigation into why SL games have been called off & or breaches of covid protocols, there appears to have been no investigation of Championship clubs regarding the effect of quarantining on additional employment & now no investigation as to why Batley & i suspect York are not required to uphold the integrity of the competition & go to France. Pathetic really.

Do rugby league clubs have the legal right to enforce vaccination on their employees? Probably not.

If players choose not to be vaccinated you don't need too many missing before the rule about everyone playing must be competent to play at that level kicks in if a club started drafting in academy lads, amateurs etc to fill places.

I'm double jabbed and agree with the sentiment but am not sure the clubs can do much if a large chunk of their players simply refuse to be vaccinated. As such, I'm not sure the club can be held responsible.

Subject obviously to the clubs making reasonable efforts and not telling players to delay jabs to avoid a French trip. Anyone found doing that should have the whole library thrown at them.

So are you saying Halfdan that clubs have no responsibility for fulfilling fixtures if players "don't fancy it"? Anarchy down that road. If Batley or York say they cannot go because they have unvaccinated players who had that opportunity, surely they are failing to play the match. I see no difference in that & what Broncos were charged with. Of course we have no idea why the Batley game was cancelled as the RFL have joined the David Hughes School of Communication.

As an elite sport I understood that clubs had to establish bubbles to minimise covid infections or "pings". Would therefore be difficult to swiftly integrate academy players into 1st team bubble. That worked pretty well for football & Union just doesn't seemed to have worked for league. Don't read the northern press but can't find any journalist trying to hold SL/RFL to account for the number of cancellations or the stupidity of their Championship decisions. Rest assured Fev will not be the only club breaching protocols although maybe the most public one.

Quite surprised at the fines issued to 3 Super League Clubs, perhaps even shocked, Castleford, Huddersfield & Salford! https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... dium=email

Quite surprised at the fines issued to 3 Super League Clubs, perhaps even shocked, Castleford, Huddersfield & Salford! https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... dium=email

I'm saying if a player refused to have the vaccine I don't think there is anything the club van do about it so can't be held responsible for the player refusing.

Clearly that doesn't justify breaches of Covid protocols for which clubs are liable and should be punished, irrespective of vaccine status.

Clearly if The RFL keep handing out major fines, as they have today & stand firm! Owners will need to find a quick solution!

Sums up why the game is in a death spiral....quick fixes don't work.

How on earth do you establish bubbles for part time players, its not possible

So instead you punish a side because they have a wealthy owner.....yep, that'll have them lining up to invest in the sport

Of course it is! The question is whether the authorities have the wherewithal to implement & patrol it which of course when you look at Rimmer & Moorhouse they do not. Quite looking forward to your view on why Batley should not be in Toulouse Saturday though.

None the less, SL clubs have clearly failed to maintain bubbles, protocols call it what you want or there would not be so many cancelled games. Yet nobody is responsible.

Please explain how part time rugby league players who also have full time jobs are meant to bubble.

They shouldn't be expected to, but neither should the London Broncos be penalised for being a full time squad in what is supposed to be an "elite sport". Toulouse have played 5 fewer games than their nearest Rivals and again will not play at the weekend. They too are a full time squad, but they aren't penalised because they are based in a different country. Toulouse have elected to play some 'home games" (2 IIRC) so as to ensure they meet the threshold for qualification to the play offs....they have without a shadow of a doubt played the system and not in 'the spirit of the game"
The RFL are 100% responsible for this. Doddery Dave (to his credit) didn't play the "covid card" when he could (should in my opinion) have and his honesty (naivety) has resulted in a fine & loss of points for the club, but it has also shown the RFL to be bereft of either ethics or intelligence.

Toulouse, who are INVITED GUESTS should have been made either play all their games in the UK, or cover the expenses of visiting teams. The visiting teams would then have had the option to go to france or forfiet the game 24-0. If the part time clubs couldn't muster a side, then a 24-0 loss it is.....the same rule for all clubs regardless of the wealth of their owners.

If toulouse thought this was unfair, then....well ........nothing. They are invited guests. If they wanted to give the season a miss then fine, they could be relegated and start in L1 next year. Harsh maybe, but Covid isn't a sack of fluffy bunnies and hard decisions needed to be made.....but unlike Toronto, this was the RFL making decisions and not "businessmen/chairmen". The RFL aren't fit for purpose as is.....

Please explain why Batley should not have been required to go to Toulouse on Saturday? The RFL cancelling the game is not an answer NB.

Exactly the same as when Championship Clubs travelled to Toronto, some were not able to do if their employers would not allow them time.

Toulouse should be made to pay for visiting teams? Not sure what you mean? My employer would not be very happy and would quite probably turn round and say no if I asked for unpaid leave.
Travelling to Toronto totally different, one or two days off work, currently travelling to France, 10 days quarantine required if not double jabbed.
The argument for us as opposed to part time team, yep it was a harsh decision but we chose to fight it the wrong way, week before refusing to travel rather than when decision was made.
I don't think toulouse are playing the system at all.

Championship Clubs travelled to Toronto, most arrived at least 48 to 72 hours before match day! even if the departed for home the following day, by the time they arrive home, and sleep, it's another 48 hours, not many part time players would want to miss out on the experience visiting Canada.

The RFL in my opinion, once Covid restrictions commenced, should have made one ruling for all Championship Clubs travelling to Toulouse.

Really? Why did they play 2 home games in the UK earlier in the season then? Is Toulouse twinned with widnes? Are there cultural ties?
The french want up.....so they figured out that worst case scenario they'd need at least 2 home games played to qualify with the minimum number of games......note they didn't play London or Fev, their 2 supposed rivals, but instead Swinton and widnes....bottom half sides.
If they're invited to SL next year I expect the SL chairmen won't be as accommodating...

Interesting stat from the USA regarding Covid in August 2021.....they claim that they have more hospitalised cases than last year at this time with some 100,000 people currently in beds and 96.8% of those are UNVACCINATED.
Never mind the RFL and Toulouse....if you choose not to have the vax you need your bumps felt

What is the batley conundrum? Are all the batley players and staff vaccinated? If they are not, then the law as it currently stands means those part time players and staff would have to isolate on return, and not be able to work. Nothing on that front has changed currently.
Clubs cannot legally enforce players to vaccinate.
A part time sportsman may or may not have been offered an NHS jab, part time I would suspect have no leverage to get jabbed early.

The SL clubs that have been fined for breaching covid protocols have been punished for exactly that, if those breaches then led to positive tests then agree they should be docked points.
As for toulouse playing home games in the UK who is going to pay for that, I would suggest like catalan every game they play in the UK costs them circa 50k. Not sustainable to expect them to do that hone and away, unless the aim is to put them out of business