Top 14 rugby programme takes more hard hits as virus cancellations spread

The French premier rugby league competition, the Top 14, reaches the half-way stage this weekend. With four of the weekend's fixtures postponed because of Covid positives in several squads, it's hard to know if the glass is half full or half empty.

Better days: Bordeaux-Bègles centre Yoram Moefana on his way to the line against Toulouse. Neither side is in action this weekend, because of Covid cancellations. © ROMAIN PERROCHEAU AFP/Archivestions

Monday's eagerly-awaited clash between league leaders Begles-Bordeaux, who had been due to travel to play Toulon, is among the matches postponed, as is the Paris Arena meeting between Racing 92 and Pau.

The French league said the health situation had forced their hand.

Champions Toulouse's home game on Sunday with Stade Francais became the fourth Top 14 clash to be called off due to a surfeit of Covid-19 positive tests in the visiting club.

The match joined Sunday's Brive-Clermont clash.

Castres take their chances

Just three matches of the halfway weekend of the league season remained on.

Sunday's game between Perpignan and Castres went ahead, with Castres managing to edge out their hosts 20-19. That win moves Castres up to fourth place in the Top 14 table.

Later on Monday, bottom side Biarritz will host Montpellier, and last season's beaten finalists, La Rochelle, are at home to Lyon.

Tragic sequence of records

Coronavirus infections in France hit six figures on Saturday, with health officials registering 104,611 cases over the previous 24 hours - the third consecutive day the numbers have reached record highs.

The latest figures mark a dramatic rise since the beginning of the month: on 4 December, the numbers broke 50,000 for the first time and have been rising steadily ever since.

On Monday afternoon, the French President Emmanuel Macron will chair a health council meeting, followed by a full cabinet session during which new measures to slow the rapid spread of the virus will be discussed.

French professional sport is unlikely to be the victim of any immediate return to crowd limitation measures, or matches being played behind closed doors.