daniel chigunweLONDON. — Cardiff plan to play Champions Cup matches against Toulouse and Harlequins with a shadow squad as most of their players continue to quarantine.
A group of 42 players and staff are due to leave South Africa tomorrow after securing a charter flight and quarantine accommodation in England.
Six members of the party will stay in Cape Town after positive Covid tests.
Cardiff are due to face European champions Toulouse at the Arms Park on Saturday, 11 December.
As the Welsh side will be without 32 players — and 16 members of staff — who will be quarantining in either England or South Africa, they intend to field a team comprised of academy players, reserves and Wales internationals who did not travel to South Africa.
Both Cardiff’s scheduled United Rugby Championship matches in South Africa against the Emirates Lions and DHL Stormers were postponed but the club say they must play two Heineken Champions Cup encounters, against Toulouse and English champions Harlequins.
A 10-day period of quarantine means those self-isolating will be able to play no part in the European fixtures.
The players will still be in self-isolation for the Toulouse game, and while they will be released in time for the Harlequins match at the Stoop on 18 December, their conditioning will not enable them to be match fit after missing three weeks of training.
There are six members of Wales’ autumn squad who could be available after they remained in Cardiff while the rest of the squad travelled to South Africa.
They are Josh Adams, Willis Halaholo, Tomos Williams, Dillon Lewis, Seb Davies and Ellis Jenkins.
“Anyone from this trip will be ineligible to face Toulouse and Quins but we have got a number of internationals back home and we’ll do everything in our power to honour these fixtures,” said Cardiff director of rugby Dai Young.
“The team will be made up of the internationals who haven’t come with us and some of our best academy players. I’m confident they will do the jersey proud but we need the Cardiff support to get right behind us.
“Gruff Rees will lead the team and he will be assisted by Thomas Rhys Thomas and Richie Rees, who remained in Cardiff to coach those not travelling.
“I know they and the boys will want to do it for the boys in quarantine, we will be watching from our rooms and it will be a real boost if we see a packed Arms Park.
“They will be supporting the boys, those of us in isolation and the club during what has been the most stressful and challenging period I have experienced as a director of rugby.
‘’I am confident those players will do the jersey proud.”
The party of 42 players and staff due to fly to the UK on Thursday have all returned a negative PCR test prior to travelling to South Africa, two negative lateral flow tests and a further five consecutive PCR tests, all with negative results, in Cape Town.
Six individuals have returned positive results and have been transferred to a South African Covid-19 quarantine hotel. — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter