Sale insist they have not broken any coronavirus protocols; RFU says it is "undertaking an independent audit of areas including the track and trace processes"
Monday 5 October 2020 09:52, UK
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is investigating the 16 coronavirus cases at Sale Sharks, amid reports the squad celebrated their Premiership Cup win over Harlequins with a late-night drinking session - just 10 days before returning the positive tests.
Sale were due to play their final match of the Premiership season against Worcester on Sunday but the game was postponed until Wednesday after a number of Sharks players tested positive.
Fifth-place Sale, who need a victory over the Warriors to secure a play-off spot, insist the club have not broken any coronavirus protocols.
However, the RFU says it is "undertaking an independent audit of areas including the track and trace processes".
Sale's squad and coaching staff will be retested on Tuesday to determine whether the match can go ahead, while the RFU has confirmed the club could be sanctioned if they are found to have breached the protocols.
"The Professional Game Board agreed a minimum standards framework for the season re-start, including the ability for sanctions in the event of any breaches of the framework," the RFU added.
Rob Baxter says that Exeter will prepare for the Premiership play-offs as if Wednesday's rescheduled game between Sale and Worcester "won't happen".
Exeter and Wasps, who beat an inexperienced Chiefs line-up 46-5 on Sunday, are through to next weekend's play-offs with home ties.
But neither Baxter nor his Wasps opposite number Lee Blackett know the identity of their teams' opponents yet, due to Sale's postponed match against Worcester.
If that game takes place and Sale win with a bonus point, then they will travel to Wasps.
If they win without a bonus, Exeter await them at Sandy Park, but should Sale lose to Worcester, then Bath will head to Devon and Sharks are out of play-off contention.
Baxter said: "We don't even know if the game on Wednesday is going to happen, do we?
"We will probably prepare for the table as it stands now, but I don't think we are seeing any guarantees that the game is definitely happening.
"And if the game doesn't happen, we don't know what regulations are going to be used. We are all a bit in the dark about it.
"We will prepare as if the game won't happen, and we will build our contingency plan around whatever the result of that game will be."
Asked if he was surprised the Sale fixture was postponed and not cancelled, with Worcester awarded a 20-0 win, Baxter added: "This is the hardest thing. I don't know what happened.
"There is so much confidentiality around medical things that I don't know which players failed COVID-19 tests or the testing procedure.
"Until we know, or the people know, what has happened, saying whether it should or should not have been postponed is an impossible question to answer."
