EUROPEAN CUP: Northampton forwards Budge Pountney and Matt Stewart and Biarritz's Thomas Lievremont last night had citing complaints, made against them by their Heineken Cup rivals, dismissed.
2007 WORLD CUP: England's bid to host the 2007 Rugby World Cup looks set to run into opposition from Southern Hemisphere nations over the proposed dates for the tournament, it emerged in Sydney yesterday.
Francis Baron, chief executive of the RFU, acknowledged following a meeting with Australian officials that there were likely to be "differences" over the timing of the event.
England's bid for the showpiece would see the World Cup staged in June and July - in the middle of the Southern Hemisphere programme of Super 12 and Tri-Nations matches.
Though refusing to give details of the Australian Rugby Union's reaction to the scheduled slot in the calendar for the tournament, Baron admitted he was expecting disagreement. The RFU had been unable to consult Southern Hemisphere nations before tabling its World Cup bid, he added.
"We in undertaking this exercise had to undertake great confidentiality, so we were not able to consult with our colleagues around the world," Baron said. "There will be, as we found out this morning from our discussions with the ARU, some different perspectives on what we originally put in place," he said. ARU officials declined to comment on the discussions.
The Scottish internationals were cited by Biarritz officials following Northampton's 23-20 defeat at Parc des Sports Aguilera on October 19th, and faced a disciplinary hearing in Dublin yesterday.
But the citings were rejected by an independent three-man disciplinary panel, who also threw out Northampton's complaint against Lievremont for punching.
Flanker Pountney and prop Stewart were both charged with reckless use of the boot, but the panel decided on both occasions that match referee Alain Rolland had taken sufficient action by penalising them.
Lievremont's case was rejected because the panel ruled that Northampton had not made their complaint within a 50-hour time limit from kick-off.
MONTGOMERY MOVES: Former Springbok full back Percy Montgomery has been released from his contract with Western Province in his native South Africa so he can join Welsh side Newport. Montgomery is one of just a select few players to win 50 caps for the Springboks and, although excited by the new challenge facing him in Wales, he admits he will miss playing for Western Province.
SOUTH AFRICA: An ankle injury has forced Springbok lock Victor Matfield to withdraw from the South African rugby squad that leaves for a three-Test tour of Europe this weekend.
The Blue Bulls giant has been replaced by Sharks lock AJ Venter for the tour that takes in Tests against France, Scotland and England.
