Cardiff plan to face Toulouse in Champions Cup despite being without 32 players



Wales team-mate Ellis Jenkins will be available for the Toulouse game.

The shadow squad will play the games against Toulouse and Quins as most of the players are still sick.

A group of 42 players and staff will leave South Africa on Thursday after securing a charter flight and accommodations in England.

Six people from the party will stay in Cape Town after positive tests.

Toulouse will be playing at the Arms Park on Saturday, 11 December.

The Welsh side will be without 32 players and 16 members of staff who will be quarantining in either England or South Africa, so they intend to field a team of academy players, reserves and Wales internationals who did not travel to South Africa.

The United Rugby Championship matches in South Africa against the Lions and Stormers have been postponed, but the club say they must play two European games against Toulouse and Quins.

Those who are self-isolating will not be allowed to play in the European matches.

The players will not be able to be match fit after missing three weeks of training, but they will be released in time for the match at the Stoop on December 18.

The rest of the squad went to South Africa, but six members of the autumn squad could still be available.

They are Josh Adams, Tomos Williams, Tomos Halaholo, and others.

"We have a number of internationals back home and we'll do everything in our power to honour these games, but anyone from this trip will be ineligible to face Toulouse and Quins," said Dai Young, director of rugby.

Some of our best academy players will not be in the team. I'm confident they will do the jersey proud, but we need the support of the people in Wales.

The team will be led by Gruff Rees and he will be assisted by Thomas and Richie.

If we see a packed Arms Park, it will be a real boost for the boys in quasar, they will want to do it for them.

"They will be supporting the boys, those of us in isolation and the club during what has been the most stress and challenging period I have experienced as a director of rugby." The players will do the jersey proud.

A group of 42 players and staff have all returned negative results for a number of tests prior to their trip to South Africa.

Six people have returned positive results and have been transferred to a hotel in South Africa.

Young said that people's safety and wellbeing is the most important thing and that they will be treated the same as everyone else.

It's not ideal for sports people, but it's par for the course. Our thoughts are with the people who are stuck 1000s of miles from our loved ones.

The biggest thing that upsets me is leaving people out here. I'm struggling to cope with that as a director of rugby.

One or two of us would definitely stay out here but we are not allowed to do that in these circumstances, that doesn't sit well with me.

They are in good hands, the doctor is checking on them twice a day, and all the medical things are in place if there were any issues.

All the guys are in good spirits and have no symptoms.

They will support each other and the people with the South African Rugby Union, who have been first class.