Ulster v La Rochelle - Saturday (Sunday?) Ravenhill (RDS?)

[BR]

Is it true that the referee inspected the pitch by way of a Zoom call?

According to Dan he was present at the pitch inspection on Thursday/Friday evening and it was passed then for playing… my questions and ones which I think UR could publish the facts on if even just to highlight who is exactly to blame are…

1. Who all was present at the pitch inspection?
2. Who was in charge of making the final call ( I have always assumed the match officials) ?
3. Was the pitch passed for the match at he inspection?

Three very simple questions which would go long way to filling in the blanks

All the reports I see say the pitch was not playable on Friday night. Where are you seeing otherwise?

Dan’s article in the BBC news stated he was present when the inspection took place and it predicted that it would played.. if we knew who all was there and who made that call it would sort a lot. Even some stories that the ref inspected it by zoom… I think we all deserve the truth

Dan McFarland: Ulster coach angry over venue switch for La Rochelle defeat https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/64015202

So Dan was there on Friday when the pitch was not passed, but it was agreed that it would pass the next morning. But, as JP described EPCR insisted on moving to the contingency on Friday night.

[jean valjean]

The more I think of this, the more I believe the broadcasters had a key role. BT has been very low on comment and I have no doubts their pundits have been told to tow the party line. They would not have wanted to upsticks with tv equipment on Saturday morning to drive down to Dublin to get set up on the day. Despite having crews at the rds on Friday night they will all have had plans for Saturday so will not have wanted to mess around with schedules. The Sunday was never an option with the world Cup final and league issues.

[Cockatrice]

Is it true that the referee inspected the pitch by way of a Zoom call?

According to Dan he was present at the pitch inspection on Thursday/Friday evening and it was passed then for playing… my questions and ones which I think UR could publish the facts on if even just to highlight who is exactly to blame are…

1. Who all was present at the pitch inspection?
2. Who was in charge of making the final call ( I have always assumed the match officials) ?
3. Was the pitch passed for the match at he inspection?

Three very simple questions which would go long way to filling in the blanks

All the reports I see say the pitch was not playable on Friday night. Where are you seeing otherwise?

Dan’s article in the BBC news stated he was present when the inspection took place and it predicted that it would played.. if we knew who all was there and who made that call it would sort a lot. Even some stories that the ref inspected it by zoom… I think we all deserve the truth

Dan McFarland: Ulster coach angry over venue switch for La Rochelle defeat https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/64015202

So Dan was there on Friday when the pitch was not passed, but it was agreed that it would pass the next morning. But, as JP described EPCR insisted on moving to the contingency on Friday night.

BR the wording that I am reading is that it was predicted that it would be playable which isn’t the same as saying the pitch is unplayable. I’d lik3 to know the exact detail of who was there and who made what call because for now I see nothing but grey.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Is it true that the referee inspected the pitch by way of a Zoom call?

According to Dan he was present at the pitch inspection on Thursday/Friday evening and it was passed then for playing… my questions and ones which I think UR could publish the facts on if even just to highlight who is exactly to blame are…

1. Who all was present at the pitch inspection?
2. Who was in charge of making the final call ( I have always assumed the match officials) ?
3. Was the pitch passed for the match at he inspection?

Three very simple questions which would go long way to filling in the blanks

All the reports I see say the pitch was not playable on Friday night. Where are you seeing otherwise?

Dan’s article in the BBC news stated he was present when the inspection took place and it predicted that it would played.. if we knew who all was there and who made that call it would sort a lot. Even some stories that the ref inspected it by zoom… I think we all deserve the truth

Dan McFarland: Ulster coach angry over venue switch for La Rochelle defeat https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/64015202

So Dan was there on Friday when the pitch was not passed, but it was agreed that it would pass the next morning. But, as JP described EPCR insisted on moving to the contingency on Friday night.

Perhaps more importantly, it has been reported that the referee was happy to wait until 10.00 the following morning to reinspect , but someone over-ruled the match referee.

It would be interesting to know what World rugby rules and the competition rules say about who has the authority to declare a pitch unplayable and when.

[Dave]

I've heard ROG kicked up a fuss.

[BR]

According to Dan he was present at the pitch inspection on Thursday/Friday evening and it was passed then for playing… my questions and ones which I think UR could publish the facts on if even just to highlight who is exactly to blame are…

1. Who all was present at the pitch inspection?
2. Who was in charge of making the final call ( I have always assumed the match officials) ?
3. Was the pitch passed for the match at he inspection?

Three very simple questions which would go long way to filling in the blanks

All the reports I see say the pitch was not playable on Friday night. Where are you seeing otherwise?

Dan’s article in the BBC news stated he was present when the inspection took place and it predicted that it would played.. if we knew who all was there and who made that call it would sort a lot. Even some stories that the ref inspected it by zoom… I think we all deserve the truth

Dan McFarland: Ulster coach angry over venue switch for La Rochelle defeat https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/64015202

So Dan was there on Friday when the pitch was not passed, but it was agreed that it would pass the next morning. But, as JP described EPCR insisted on moving to the contingency on Friday night.

Perhaps more importantly, it has been reported that the referee was happy to wait until 10.00 the following morning to reinspect , but someone over-ruled the match referee.

That's what JP said.

It would be interesting to know what World rugby rules and the competition rules say about who has the authority to declare a pitch unplayable and when.

Ref makes call on playability.. Organisers are presumably free to insist on timeframes.

[Dave]

Not that it matters now but Ravenhill will be 4G next year. Won’t have to deal with frozen pitches.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So is Scotstoun Stadium isn't it? Sure Glasgow had to move.

4g pitches get extremely slippery when they freeze.

[HammerTime]

Went onto the European rugby champions cup bakebook page just to see how many Ulster fans were letting the side down. Surely there'd be hundreds of comments getting stuck into EPCR. But it seems any mention of the ULS v LAR match has been culled. Like it never happened ... No result confirmation, MOTM or video highlights unlike every single other match over the weekend. Strange that.

[Cockatrice]

According to Dan he was present at the pitch inspection on Thursday/Friday evening and it was passed then for playing… my questions and ones which I think UR could publish the facts on if even just to highlight who is exactly to blame are…

1. Who all was present at the pitch inspection?
2. Who was in charge of making the final call ( I have always assumed the match officials) ?
3. Was the pitch passed for the match at he inspection?

Three very simple questions which would go long way to filling in the blanks

All the reports I see say the pitch was not playable on Friday night. Where are you seeing otherwise?

Dan’s article in the BBC news stated he was present when the inspection took place and it predicted that it would played.. if we knew who all was there and who made that call it would sort a lot. Even some stories that the ref inspected it by zoom… I think we all deserve the truth

Dan McFarland: Ulster coach angry over venue switch for La Rochelle defeat https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/64015202

So Dan was there on Friday when the pitch was not passed, but it was agreed that it would pass the next morning. But, as JP described EPCR insisted on moving to the contingency on Friday night.

Perhaps more importantly, it has been reported that the referee was happy to wait until 10.00 the following morning to reinspect , but someone over-ruled the match referee.

It would be interesting to know what World rugby rules and the competition rules say about who has the authority to declare a pitch unplayable and when.

Exactly and frankly I would love to see UR have the balls to simply put out the detail of that evenings inspection who was there and who called what.. if not the referee then was it TV IRFU or ECPR and name the person … clear your name UR nobody has done you any favours

[BR]

According to Dan he was present at the pitch inspection on Thursday/Friday evening and it was passed then for playing… my questions and ones which I think UR could publish the facts on if even just to highlight who is exactly to blame are…

1. Who all was present at the pitch inspection?
2. Who was in charge of making the final call ( I have always assumed the match officials) ?
3. Was the pitch passed for the match at he inspection?

Three very simple questions which would go long way to filling in the blanks

All the reports I see say the pitch was not playable on Friday night. Where are you seeing otherwise?

Dan’s article in the BBC news stated he was present when the inspection took place and it predicted that it would played.. if we knew who all was there and who made that call it would sort a lot. Even some stories that the ref inspected it by zoom… I think we all deserve the truth

Dan McFarland: Ulster coach angry over venue switch for La Rochelle defeat https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/64015202

So Dan was there on Friday when the pitch was not passed, but it was agreed that it would pass the next morning. But, as JP described EPCR insisted on moving to the contingency on Friday night.

BR the wording that I am reading is that it was predicted that it would be playable which isn’t the same as saying the pitch is unplayable. I’d lik3 to know the exact detail of who was there and who made what call because for now I see nothing but grey.

Sorry i thought i had answered this earlier.

JP (on BBC??) said that on Friday evening it was agreed (including ref) that there were still parts of the pitch unplayable. They also agreed that it was likely to be playable by the next morning and the ref agreed to a 10 a.m. inspection. Later on Friday evening, EPCR made the call that the match should be moved to an alternative venue.

[Bogbunny]

Heineken Champions Cup: Ulster and EPCR to 'review' pitch controversy
Last updated on27 minutes ago27 minutes ago.
From the sectionIrish Rugby
The game between Ulster and La Rochelle at the Aviva Stadium
Ulster's game with La Rochelle on Saturday took place behind closed doors at the Aviva Stadium
Ulster and Champions Cup organisers will "carry out a full review" after Saturday's game with La Rochelle was controversially played behind closed doors at the Aviva Stadium.

The game was moved by the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) on Friday night.

There were concerns over the Kingspan Stadium pitch after a week of freezing weather.

Ulster CEO Jonny Petrie had said the move cost Ulster "around £700,000".

Head coach Dan McFarland added: "The bottom line is the decision was wrong."

Northern Ireland had experienced sub-zero temperatures in the build-up to the match at Kingspan Stadium and Ulster had used frost covers and heaters in attempts to preserve the playing surface.

Ulster chief Petrie estimates venue switch will cost province £700,000
Petrie explained on Saturday that match referee Luke Pearce had found parts of the pitch were still unplayable when he surveyed the surface on Friday afternoon around 14:00 GMT.

But with temperatures forecast to rise, the Ulster chief believed a "further inspection at 10 o'clock this morning would be a reasonable route to go down".

The EPCR decided that "due to concerns over the safety of the playing surface" would be moved to Dublin and would be played behind closed doors, which took away home advantage, before the Aviva Stadium was confirmed to host the match on Saturday morning.

The match went ahead at the Aviva Stadium without any Ulster fans in attendance, but a "large official delegation" from La Rochelle was permitted to attend.

Petrie tweeted that the decision to allow the delegation entry was the decision of the EPCR and Ulster "would be subject to legal action for compensation if they weren't permitted entry".

Holders La Rochelle ran out 36-29 winners, which condemned Ulster to two defeats in their opening two Champions Cup matches.

An Ulster statement said: "The team's focus is now firmly on preparing for next weekend's URC fixture against Connacht, so we will not be making any further comment at this time."

A "large official delegation" from La Rochelle was present at the match
A "large official delegation" from La Rochelle was present at the match

[horslips]

Heineken Champions Cup: Ulster and EPCR to 'review' pitch controversy
Last updated on27 minutes ago27 minutes ago.

Time for someone with the biggest set of cahones to step up and hold EPCR to account.

I do wonder given that JP quotes a loss in revenue of ca 700K what would have happened if UR had just said NO fecking way are we travelling to Mexico do what you will but we will be at Ravenhill and ready to play. This just seems another in an never ending line of meek, toe the line responses from UR.

Maybe we need some Dupers on the management commitee

[Deraless]

From BelTel:

"Ulster are in danger of a misconduct charge from EPCR following the fiasco that caused yesterday’s second round Heineken Champions Cup tie with La Rochelle to be played behind closed doors at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

If they are found to be at fault, Ulster, who lost 36-29 to the European champions, would likely be fined having already missed out on an estimated £700k in match-day revenue had the game gone ahead at home."

Looks like attack is the best form of defence for EPCR

That official delegation excuse is BS. A load of fans turned up and SR kicked up on their behalf. Why did Ulster not have an official delegation?

[BR]

From Saturday's Sports Sound:

JP: The match referee came down yesterday at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon, to have a look at the pitch. At that point he said that some parts of it were playable; some parts were questionable; some parts were still unplayable, which we understood. But, in his view and in conversation with him, we were all of the mind at that point that we felt that a further pitch inspection at 10 o’clock this morning would be a reasonable route to go down. Ultimately, later on in conversation and discussion with the tournament organisers though, which ended up being about 6:30 last night, that decision was taken out of our hands. And the match, in Belfast, was deemed not to be possible at that stage, by the tournament organisers. So, then, clearly all our focus then had to go on getting our match sorted at our backup venue down in Dublin. Which was complicated enough in itself. It left us in, obviously, a very difficult situation with, yes, we have a match going on today, but not in the location and not with the supporters in front of it that we all would have hoped for.

GA: So you were happy that the pitch would be good to go at 10 o’clock this morning? And the tournament organisiers changed their minds and made the call earlier?

Yeah. Listen having stood on it an 10 o’clock this morning and had some independent expertise have look at it, as well, this morning, as well, it was playable at that point, at 10 o’clock this morning. But, listen I understand the tournament organisers have other factors at play in this as well, around broadcasters, etc, and match operations and that was ultimately their decision and it’s at their absolute discretion. But, yeah, we would have wanted to either push the match back to Sunday, when we knew the temperatures were going to be, what, 11 degrees or so, with rain; or for there to be that further inspection this morning to assess the playability of it before making any last decision. But, unfortunately we weren’t afforded that opportunity.

So you think they blinked too early?

I can understand. They’ve got risks they need to manage as well. But in an ideal world, I would have wanted to work with them to see that through to this morning anyway. And as it's turned out, we feel we’ve got a playable pitch at Kingspan.

Available on i-player Apologies for any transcription errors.

[Cockatrice]

From Saturday's Sports Sound:

JP: The match referee came down yesterday at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon, to have a look at the pitch. At that point he said that some parts of it were playable; some parts were questionable; some parts were still unplayable, which we understood. But, in his view and in conversation with him, we were all of the mind at that point that we felt that a further pitch inspection at 10 o’clock this morning would be a reasonable route to go down. Ultimately, later on in conversation and discussion with the tournament organisers though, which ended up being about 6:30 last night, that decision was taken out of our hands. And the match, in Belfast, was deemed not to be possible at that stage, by the tournament organisers. So, then, clearly all our focus then had to go on getting our match sorted at our backup venue down in Dublin. Which was complicated enough in itself. It left us in, obviously, a very difficult situation with, yes, we have a match going on today, but not in the location and not with the supporters in front of it that we all would have hoped for.

GA: So you were happy that the pitch would be good to go at 10 o’clock this morning? And the tournament organisiers changed their minds and made the call earlier?

Yeah. Listen having stood on it an 10 o’clock this morning and had some independent expertise have look at it, as well, this morning, as well, it was playable at that point, at 10 o’clock this morning. But, listen I understand the tournament organisers have other factors at play in this as well, around broadcasters, etc, and match operations and that was ultimately their decision and it’s at their absolute discretion. But, yeah, we would have wanted to either push the match back to Sunday, when we knew the temperatures were going to be, what, 11 degrees or so, with rain; or for there to be that further inspection this morning to assess the playability of it before making any last decision. But, unfortunately we weren’t afforded that opportunity.

So you think they blinked too early?

I can understand. They’ve got risks they need to manage as well. But in an ideal world, I would have wanted to work with them to see that through to this morning anyway. And as it's turned out, we feel we’ve got a playable pitch at Kingspan.

Available on i-player Apologies for any transcription errors.

All sounds a bit wishy washy… No mention that the referee was there for the subsequent morning inspection my question would be why as it was his call.

Presumably given that ECPR had already called it a non starter the evening before and after the refs inspection the ref had effectively stood down and no amount of so called experts would make any difference the following day as they outsiders and nothing to do with the process..

I seemed to recall a tweet from JP stating that they weren’t contacted and learnt through media as to the cancellation yet from above seems it was in direct conversation with the powers to be..