Byrne banned; Ospreys fined
Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:09
Key moment: Wales fullback Lee Byrne down and receiving attention.
Wales fullback Lee Byrne will miss his nation's Six Nations opener against England next week, after being banned for two weeks for his role in the 16th-man controversy in the Ospreys' Heineken Cup win over Leicester Tigers.
Byrne pleaded guilty to a misconduct charge, laid as a result of a brief appearance as Ospreys' 16th player in their 17-12 victory last Saturday and the resulting two-week ban means he will miss the February 6 clash with England.
Ospreys were fined €25,000 over the incident, but the disciplinary panel ruled there had been "no material effect on the match", so the result stands.
That means the result stands and Ospreys keep their place in the quarterfinals of the competition, in which they will meet Biarritz on April 10, while English champions Leicester are eliminated.
Ospreys enjoyed a numerical advantage for only about a minute after Byrne, who had been replaced by centre Sonny Parker while he was treated for a bloodied toe, returned to the pitch without any of his teammates leaving.
Leicester complained to tournament organisers European Rugby Cup (ERC) shortly after the match and had argued that, during Byrne's time as a 16th player, he helped thwart a Tigers attack.
Byrne's ban is bad news for Wales, whose head coach Warren Gatland had been expected to hand him the No.15 shirt for the clash with England.
Gatland will now be expected to play James Hook at fullback but that means he will have to find another centre to play alongside Jamie Roberts.
Byrne will be available to play in Wales's second match in the Six Nations, against Scotland in Cardiff on February 13.
The full statement from the disciplinary hearing: "An independent Disciplinary Committee sat in Dublin today, Friday, January 29, to hear Misconduct complaints under the Heineken Cup 2009/10 Disciplinary Rules brought against Ospreys and Ospreys fullback, Lee Byrne (No 15).
"The Misconduct complaints, brought by Heineken Cup tournament organiser, ERC, were that Byrne, who had been replaced as a blood substitute in the 67th minute of the Heineken Cup Round Six match v Leicester Tigers at Liberty Stadium on Saturday, January 23, had then re-entered the pitch without replacing another player and/or without the referee signalling that he may do so.
"The independent Disciplinary Committee was chaired by Pat Barriscale (Ireland) and also comprised Mark McParland (Ireland) and Jean-Noel Couraud (France).
"Ospreys and Byrne pleaded guilty to the misconduct complaints. During the hearing, the independent Disciplinary Committee heard submissions from representatives of ERC and Ospreys and from a number of witnesses, and considered statements from various individuals and video evidence from the match. The committee also heard submissions from representatives of Leicester Tigers.
"The independent Disciplinary Committee found that Byrne had re-entered the pitch without the referee's permission and that he knew or ought to have known that he needed that permission. The committee found that this represented a clear breach of the Substitution Protocol, which forms part of the Heineken Cup 2009/10 Tournament Rules, and that the club could have done more to ensure that such a breach did not occur. However, the committee found that the breach had not been deliberate or premeditated on the part of the club's management and that there had been no material effect on the match.
"In the circumstances, the committee imposed a fine of €25,000 on the Ospreys and suspended Byrne from playing rugby for a period of two (2) weeks, up to and including Friday, February, 12. Byrne will be free to play on Saturday, 13 February 2010.
"Lee Byrne, the Ospreys and ERC have the right to appeal."
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