RUGBY HEINEKEN CUP: JOHN O'SULLIVANon the controversy surrounding the manner in which Harlequins brought their outhalf back on as a blood replacement for the endgame of the Heineken Cup quarter-final with Leinster. ERC feels the 'process and the protocol' of the replacement needs to be looked at
ERC WILL formally examine events surrounding the controversial reintroduction of Harlequins outhalf Nick Evans during the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Leinster at The Stoop on Sunday.
Evans had been replaced by Chris Malone 10 minutes into the second half but when Malone sustained a hamstring injury, Harlequins coach Dean Richards replaced the Australian with utility back Tom Williams. When the latter suffered a “blood injury”, Richards threw Evans back into the fray, which is within the laws of the game because Malone’s introduction for Evans had been officially noted as a tactical replacement as opposed to one enforced by injury.
It’s an important distinction and one that relies exclusively on honour. There is nothing to stop a management team suggesting all replacements made in a given match were tactical and then in the event of a blood injury arising bringing any one of those players back on to the pitch; the strict dynamics of frontrow substitutions notwithstanding.
Referee Nigel Owens was heard to seek clarification on going to the sideline at the time, asking the fourth official whether Harlequins had confirmed at the time of Evans’ original departure that it was a tactical replacement.
Once this was established to be the case then the New Zealander was permitted to return under the rules.
An ERC spokesperson maintained there was no issue in relation to that aspect of the Evans affair, a state of affairs supported by Leinster. The province’s contention was that their team doctor – Prof Arthur Tanner – was entitled to satisfy himself the Harlequins player had a genuine blood injury and on the day wasn’t allowed to do so.
An ERC spokesperson confirmed: “We are going to look into the process and the protocol to try and protect the integrity of the sport in relation to the replacements issue.”
According to one English newspaper Harlequins took photographic evidence of Williams’ blood injury. Ultimately Evans failed with a late drop-goal attempt and therefore his return didn’t materially affect the final score-line.
It’s unlikely the All-Ireland clash between defending champions and tournament favourites Munster and Leinster on Saturday May 2nd, requires any marketing but the game will provide a landmark in terms of European rugby.
In the 14th staging of the tournament, the 1,000,000 spectatorbarrier will be broken for the first time in a given Heineken Cup campaign. The 101,466 spectators who attended last weekend’s quarter-finals – including a Welsh home record gate of 36,728 who saw Cardiff Blues beat triple champions Toulouse – pushed the season’s total to 981,946.
It means the Croke Park semi-final followed by the clash of Cardiff Blues and the Leicester Tigers at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday, May 3rd will smash the seven-figure attendance barrier way ahead of the 2009 Heineken Cup final at Murrayfield on May 23rd.
Already more fans have flocked to the 76 matches played so far in this tournament, breaking the old mark for a season of the 964,853 that attended the 79 matches in 2005/06.
Meanwhile, ERC confirmed Leicester Tigers Samoan wing Alesana Tuilagi will appear before an independent disciplinary committee as a result of a citing arising from the Heineken Cup quarter-final match against Bath at the Walkers Stadium on Saturday.
The citing, lodged by the citing commissioner for the match, Douglas Hunter, is for allegedly playing Bath fullback Nick Abendanon without the ball, in contravention of Law 10.4 (f), which states with regard to playing an opponent without a ball: “Except in a scrum, ruck or maul, a player must not hold, or push, or charge into, or obstruct an opponent not carrying the ball.”
Better news for the Tigers is that by reaching the semi-finals with their victory over Bath at the Walkers Stadium last Saturday they have guaranteed that England will have seven representatives in next season’s Heineken Cup.
Leicester’s win coupled with the defeat for Toulouse against Cardiff at the Millennium Stadium guarantees an extra place for an English team next season.
The French had seven teams in this year’s tournament by virtue of Toulouse reaching last season’s final in which they were beaten by Munster.
It means there will be seven English clubs, six French, three Welsh, three Irish, two Scottish and two Italian – the winners of the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup are guaranteed a place in the elite competition for the following season and come out of that country’s allocation – while the 24th place goes to the winner of a play-off between the highest non-qualifying Magners League team and the third-placed side in the Italian Super 10 championship.
Byrne for Japan
MICK BYRNE, a key kicking coach for the All Blacks since 2005, is to join Japan as their forwards coach, the New Zealand Rugby Union has confirmed.
Byrne had a 15-year AFL career before moving into rugby as kicking and catching coach for the Wallabies at the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
He worked with the Brumbies and as a consultant to the Springboks in 2001-02 before working with Scotland in 2002.
He was at Saracens before joining the All Blacks.
He has been a key influence in New Zealand on not only the development of kicking skills but the catching of the high ball, which has grown in significance with the increase in kicking under the Experimental Law Variations
