ERC charge both Byrne and Ospreys
Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:55
Key moment: Wales fullback Lee Byrne down and receiving attention.
The ERC have confirmed that they have now formally charged both Lee Byrne and the Ospreys for the incident in the second half of their Heineken Cup clash with Leicester which saw them playing a minute of the match with 16 men on the field.
While the Ospreys' spot in the quarter-finals has already been confirmed the ERC have clearly decided that the incident warrants further consideration.
In their statement the ERC confirmed that they had interviewed all the relavent parties and that they will now call both Byrne and the club to account for what happened.
"As part of his investigation he reviewed statements from the Ospreys, Leicester Tigers and the Match Officials and also reviewed footage of the incident.
"Following his investigation the Disciplinary Officer has made Misconduct complaints against Ospreys full back Lee Byrne (No 15) and the Ospreys club.
"The independent Disciplinary Committee appointed to hear the case in Dublin on Friday, 29 January, 2010, will be chaired by Pat Barriscale (Ireland), and also include Jean-Noel Couraud (France) and Mark McParland (Ireland)."
Byrne returned to the field of play after receiving treatment on the side of the pitch while his replacement, centre Sonny Parker, was still involved in the action.
Leicester, through scrumhalf Ben Youngs, then launched an attack down the right flank of the field - the side onto which Byrne had re-entered the game. While he made no pass or tackle during the movement his presence, the Tigers claim, clearly affected the visitors attack.
Tigers Director of Rugby Richard Cockerill originally claimed that he would not be seeking any type of punishment for the mix-up but his clubs Chief Executive, Peter Wheeler, has made it very clear that he feels a replay of the match would be the only 'fair solution.'
All returning substitutions have to pass through the 4th official during a match but Byrne, seemingly acting under the understanding that everything had been sorted, return to the pitch when he should not have down.
Match official Alan Lewis was made aware of the incident immediately after the phase of play came to an end. Moving to the side of the pitch, Lewis was then seen to reprimand Ospreys' Team Logistics & Player Appearance Manager, Dani Delamere.
Check out the the history of this tale:
Ospreys in Euro line-up despite protest
ERC formally investigate Ospreys' win`
Tigers: 'Replay the only solution'
'It's not
sour grapes' insist Leicester
Proud Cockerill: 'Sometimes you lose'
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