Byrne cleared for England showdown
Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:08
Wales coach Warren Gatland is free to select star fullback Lee Byrne for his team's opening Six Nations encounter with England at Twickenham on Saturday.
This follows after the British and Irish Lions No.15 succeeded in his appeal against the two-week ban imposed by European Rugby Cup, following his brief appearance as an illegal 16th player during the Ospreys' Heineken Cup victory over Leicester.
The suspension has been replaced by a fine of €5,000 and Byrne is now available for Wales' encounter with England on Saturday.
The ERC said in a statement on Tuesday that an Independent Appeal Committee, sitting in Glasgow, allowed the appeal brought by Byrne against the level of sanction imposed on him last month.
The appeal was against the level of sanction imposed by the original independent Disciplinary Hearing on Friday, January 29, who had found Byrne guilty of a Misconduct Complaint arising from the Heineken Cup Round Six match against Leicester Tigers at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, January 23, in that he 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 Independent Appeal Committee, chaired by Rod McKenzie (Scotland) and also comprising Professor Lorne Crerar (Scotland) and Bill Dunlop (Scotland), found that Byrne had demonstrated that the original decision had been in error and the sanction should be varied to a fine of €5,000.
His original ban had ruled him out of all competitions and led to Wales coach Warren Gatland delaying his team announcement for Saturday's match against England at Twickenham.
* Meanwhile Biarritz lock Jerome Thion has been cleared of striking Glasgow opponent Richie Gray in the clubs' Heineken Cup match last month.
Thion was cited following the January 24 meeting for an alleged punch/strike on Gray but, after a disciplinary hearing in Dublin on Tuesday, the independent judicial officer who assessed the case found the Frenchman not guilty.
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