Tigers ready to move on from '16th man'
Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:56
In a statement released on their website on Tuesday afternoon the Leicester Tigers have voiced their views on the recent Heineken Cup '16th man' disciplinary hearing following an incident in their Round Six clash last month.
Leicester, having lodged an official complaint after the incident, which saw their Welsh opponents field 16 men on the field for a minutes in the second half, and were looking to have the match replayed before the quarterfinal draw for the Heineken Cup was completed.
The statement, released on www.leicestertigers.com read: "Leicester Tigers has noted the verdict of the independent disciplinary committee hearing into the use of a 16th man by the Ospreys in the Heineken Cup fixture between the two clubs on January 23 and the subsequent appeal by Lee Byrne.
"The Ospreys were fined €25,000 and Byrne was banned for two weeks. On appeal, Byrne was fined €5,000 and the suspension lifted."
Quote club chairman Peter Tom CBE, it went on to explain that the Premiership side were earger to evaluate the findings of the proceedings but that, to their minds, the incident was now 'dealt with.'
"We registered our original complaint, immediately after the match, first because it was important to determine the course of events which led to one team having 16 players on the pitch, and second because an investigation was needed to ensure that this did not happen again in the future.
"The incident portrayed professional club rugby in a poor light to a large live and television audience, during a high-profile fixture involving two top clubs in Europe's premier club tournament, with both sides chasing a place in the knockout stages.
"We are grateful that the investigation was completed quickly by European Rugby Cup Limited and that the disciplinary hearing was convened within seven days of our complaint.
"We will be interested to read the committee's full written verdict and its summary of the appeal decision in due course. In the meantime, we believe that the matter has been dealt with and it is now time to move on and concentrate on the rest of the season."
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