RUGBY : Premier Rugby have made an urgent request for the referee’s report after the Guinness Premiership match between Sale Sharks and Wasps was controversially postponed.
Premier Rugby have made an urgent request for the referee’s report after the Guinness Premiership match between Sale Sharks and Wasps was controversially postponed.
The London club claimed surface water down one channel of the pitch at Sale’s Edgeley Park ground in Stockport had made it too dangerous to play on and climbed back on their bus.
Sale chief executive James Jennings challenged Premier Rugby – the umbrella organisation for top-flight clubs – to make the “right response” to Wasps’ walk-out and Premier Rugby released a statement which read: “Following the cancellation of the Sale Sharks v London Wasps game, Premier Rugby will be urgently requesting a full report from the referee.”
Jennings said: “We feel that the fans of both clubs have been badly let down, and it is clear to me that from the reaction to my announcement, that all fans wanted and expected the game to go ahead.
“They were as shocked and surprised as me that this game did not happen. There has been no reasonable explanation provided by Wasps for their decision not to play.
“We will have to see what action PRL (Premier Rugby Ltd) now take, but we are very clear what the right response should be to this.”
The game was officially postponed almost 15 minutes after the scheduled 7.45pm kick-off.
Referee David Rose was happy for the game to go ahead but Wasps director of rugby Tony Hanks said: “We didn’t think the pitch was fit to play on.
“As a club we will never compromise the safety of our players and tonight it was clear that playing on a pitch in the condition that we saw at Edgeley Park would put them at risk.
“It is not a decision we would take lightly. We were looking forward to the game and had prepared well this week and after the display at Saracens last weekend the players were up for the challenge, so we all leave disappointed.”
