European champions Exeter Chiefs have found themselves on the backfoot as they seek to defend their Champions Cup crown following the cancellation of Sunday’s match against Toulouse because of a COVID-19 outbreak.

The Chiefs have reported a number of positive tests and are unable to fulfil the round two fixture at the Stade Ernest Wallon.

The knock-on effect is that Glasgow – Exeter’s opponents last weekend – are unable to field a side against Lyon due to the need for some of their players to self-isolate, meaning their game is also cancelled.

Tournament organisers EPCR will convene a match resolution panel to decide the result of the games once all four clubs have submitted their testing results.

If a 28-0 defeat is awarded against Exeter, it will put them in a difficult position in their quest to advance to the knockout phase as the truncated format to this year’s competition consists of only four group games.

The Chiefs thumped Glasgow 42-0 to launch their campaign with a statement win and have only two remaining fixtures – against Toulouse and the Warriors in January – to secure their place in the quarter-finals.

Their clash with Toulouse, a replay of last season’s semi-final, was the most eagerly-awaited fixture of round two and their first true test of 2020-21.

All but three of Glasgow’s matchday squad that faced Exeter are self-isolating under guidance from Public Health Scotland.