Edinburgh rejects Cape Town switch with Saracens

Edinburgh have rejected a proposal by Saracens to play their Heineken Cup clash in South Africa.
Saracens planned to move their Round 5 fixture with their Scottish rivals to the Cape Town Stadium and reportedly offered to cover the costs of their opponents but Edinburgh have turned down the offer citing their ‘commitment to their fans’.
Saracens chief executive Ed Griffith said: “They’ve passed over the chance to stage a game that I think would have had a crowd of 50,000 in Cape Town. It would have been a one-off. It would have made rugby history and I think it would have been a huge event for the players, the supporters, everybody.
“From what I understand, there was no enthusiasm at Edinburgh for going at all. Which is sad, because last year Biarritz immediately saw the opportunity and were very enthusiastic. That fell through because of various problems out there, but those have all been solved.
Edinburgh Managing Director Craig Docherty commented: “As a club, our commitment is to our fans and other key stakeholders.
“Following Edinburgh Rugby to South Africa is simply not an option in what could be a critical pool game.
“The case made by Saracens was not commercially compelling and, from a performance perspective, would have had a detrimental effect on our preparation for and recovery from this match.”