Belgium's rugby celebration is put on ice
Sunday December 20 2009
The Can-Can girls from the Moulin Rouge didn't get to strut their stuff, there were 1,000 frustrated Belgian mums and dads who didn't get to see their rugby-mad youngsters parading on the big stage and then there were two very frustrated sets of players.
The postponement of the Heineken Cup Pool 4 match between Stade Francais Paris and Ulster had wide-ranging implications, not least that the two teams were told they would have to up-sticks and travel to a different venue to complete their fourth round fixture.
The choice of the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels was another ground-breaking marketing decision made by Stade President Max Gauzzini and it was all set to become the biggest ever rugby day in the history of the game in Belgium.
But, in the end, the ice and snow, not to mention temperatures of -11 degrees, conspired to turn the dream into a logistical, and potentially financial, disaster.
Belgium was set to become the 10th country to host a Heineken Cup match, and the stadium was scheduled to become the 83rd venue used, but the frozen conditions simply made any chance of playing impossible.
England referee Chris White finally put everyone out of their misery with his final inspection at 2.0pm local time and set ERC chief executive Derek McGrath and Gauzzini the task of trying to find a suitable venue at which to stage the game within the next few days.
"We need to play the match before the next round and, once the decision was taken to postpone this game, we opened discussions with other venues to try to find somewhere to play the game," said McGrath.
"The needs of the tournament are to see this game played as soon as possible. There are a number of logistical questions that have to be answered, not least can the new venue be guaranteed to be in a fit condition to stage the game and can we get the teams there on time." As for Gauzzini, who had partnered with the city of Brussels to take one of his side's three home European games on the road, the pressures were mounting throughout the day. Not only did he have to deal with a number of disappointed Stade fans, but also the loss of hundreds of thousands of euros in costs.
Angry at the lack of pitch protection -- there were plastic sheets over the field, but only two functioning hot air blowers -- Gauzzini was pointing the finger of blame firmly at the authorities in Brussels.
Ulster's problems, which began with lengthy airport delays on their outward flight on Friday night, were compounded by the uncertainty of where and when the game would eventually be played. It left former skipper, and now Operations Director, David Humphreys struggling to find ways to keep his players focused on the task ahead -- however far that might be.
"This is the biggest match Ulster have played in a long, long time. We haven't put ourselves in a position to compete for a quarter-final place in the Heineken Cup in recent seasons," he said.
"On the back of our victory over Stade at Ravenhill last weekend all the players realised the magnitude of the return game and last week merely whetted the appetite. We came to Brussels fully understanding we would still be firm underdogs, given Stade's position as one of Europe's top teams, but really looking forward to the contest.
"In the end, it turned into a difficult morning and a disappointing afternoon. Now it is a case of giving the players a new target on which to focus.
"All rugby players want is certainty and that is what we are trying to give them. They want to know where and when they will be playing so they can go through their mental and physical build-ups once again."
Stade Francais and Ulster will now be played in Paris at Stade Jean Bouin, Stade's home venue, today at 3.0pm.
- Matt LLOYD
Originally published in
