IRFU will investigate complaints of clashes at match

THE Irish Rugby Football Union has said it will investigate complaints from any rugby fans involved in an incident with stewards…

THE Irish Rugby Football Union has said it will investigate complaints from any rugby fans involved in an incident with stewards after last Saturday's rugby international between Ireland and England at Lansdowne Road, Dublin.

Stewards and fans clashed at the end of Saturday's match when a number of fans ran on to the pitch and some blows were exchanged. The IRFU said yesterday that it would respond to any complaints it received.

A spokesman for the Garda said it had received no complaints about the behaviour of stewards or fans, although a small number of forged tickets were seized. "There was some report of crowd control problems but we didn't experience any," he said. "As far as we are concerned, there was no problem with the crowd."

Following the incident, Fine Gael's Senator John Farrelly called on the Government to introduce licensing for the security industry. "The licensing of the private security industry firms is the only way that people can be made answerable for any transgressions they may commit," he said, calling on witnesses to ensure that any stewards involved were made to account for their actions.