Bath have been forced into cancelling Saturday's Heineken Champions Cup trip to La Rochelle. 

Twelve members of the Bath squad are isolating having been deemed close contacts of a Scarlets player that tested positive for COVID-19.

The Premiership side say that they're unable to fulfil this weekend's game with Ronan O'Gara's side "due to the impact on selection availability of forwards". 

As things stand, Scarlets' meeting with Toulon on Friday night is going ahead.

It's the third Heineken Champions Cup game of the weekend to be cancelled as a result of coronavirus, and the first in Leinster's Pool A.

Sunday's meeting of Toulouse and Exeter Chiefs in Pool B, and Saturday's clash of Glasgow Warriors and Lyon have both been called off.

Some Chiefs players and staff have tested positive for COVID-19. Glasgow are following Public Health Scotland advice and isolating their players having come into contact with Exeter last week.

Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper said of their cancellation, "We are hugely disappointed that we are unable to play this fixture, but the health and safety of our staff, players and families - and that of La Rochelle’s rugby community must be our top priority. 

"Our focus now is to continue to protect our people, and to prepare for our upcoming Gallagher Premiership fixture against London Irish on Boxing Day."

The EPCR will now meet to decide the result of the cancelled fixture and their decision will be communicated in due course. 

Judging by his comments on Wednesday night's Off The Ball, O'Gara is expecting maximum points from the cancelled Bath game.

He explained that it is his understanding that "it’s five points for the team without Covid and no points for the team with Covid".

"So bonus point wins for Toulouse and Lyon. That's to the best of my knowledge because it was read out in a staff meeting earlier in the year."

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