As expected, the independent citing commissioner at the match between Scotland and Ireland, Brian Fowler of Wales, has confirmed that no player will be cited arising from incidents in Saturday's Six Nations match in Murrayfield.

In response, the Irish management issued a statement accepting the decision "and now consider the matter closed".

All television coverage of the game's last play - Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan had said that Ronan O'Gara had been deliberately choked by a Scottish player after being tackled by Nathan Hines and being trapped at the bottom of a ruck - proved inconclusive in either confirming or disproving the Irish coach's claims.

O'Sullivan had also brought Fowler's attention to the incident, but a Six Nations statement yesterday said that "after studying all the footage and evidence provided to him after the match, using all means at his disposal in the time permitted of 50 hours from kick-off, including enhanced images on game analysis software, he (Fowler) has found no incidents of foul play to cite under the Six Nations and IRB regulations under which all matches in the RBS Six Nations Championship are played".

The IRFU statement also maintained that "at no point did Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan say that Ronan O'Gara could have died. This was in fact a misquote from the Irish press conference that took place on Sunday morning and it is anticipated that the remarks attributed to Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan will be retracted by publications that used them."

This is verified by recordings of Saturday's post-match press conference and Sunday morning's press briefing in Edinburgh.

When O'Sullivan was asked about the incident which led to O'Gara being treated on the pitch by Irish team physician Dr Gary O'Driscoll, after being turned over by a concerned John Hayes, with players from both teams drawing attention to the outhalf's plight, the Irish coach initially paused at length.

Although O'Gara had no recollection of exactly what had happened, the understanding is that at least two Irish players drew the Irish management's attention to what they saw as a Scottish player pressing his arm down on the outhalf's neck.

Almost immediately, the Irish team's video analyst, Mervyn Murphy, brought up a video of the game's last play and, though it was inconclusive, O'Sullivan then met the match commissioner in the dressingroom corridor and reported the incident, while acknowledging they couldn't find any conclusive video evidence to back up the claim.

In response, the Scottish management swiftly rejected any allegations of foul play and yesterday dismissed them as "nonsense". O'Sullivan also asked that the Scottish player concerned come forward and clarify his role in the incident.

Acknowledging that he was at the centre of the allegations, Scottish lock Nathan Hines faced the Scottish media yesterday and commented: "I was very surprised because it's not something you hear every day. Obviously if you're making the allegation and you didn't see it, I don't know . . . It's a serious allegation, but not one player believed he was speaking any truth," he said.

The Perpignan-based lock explained that, while aware his name had being linked to the incident through the media, there had been no direct accusation aimed at him. "(I) only (know) from what's been written in the papers, but no one's said anything to me. I was involved in the tackle. It was a fair tackle and when we got up he was on the ground," Hines explained.

Hines can be seen on television pictures looking towards the prostrate O'Gara, rather than at the ruck that had formed alongside, but said that had been because a team-mate had alerted him to the possibility that the Ireland outhalf was in difficulties and that the game should be stopped.

"I looked down, he (O'Gara) was still there. John Hayes was still there as well and Allan Jacobsen was standing next to me saying 'quit it, quit it, quit it'. So I then had my hand up doing this (beckoning)," Hines explained.

Frank Hadden, Scotland's coach, also dismissed O'Sullivan's claims and suggested an alternative explanation for O'Gara having gone "blue in the face".

"I knew it was rubbish at the time and it's absolute rubbish now," he said. "It's just a total distraction. I can't imagine where it's come from or how it surfaced. I heard a rumour that O'Gara was blue in the face, but if you watch the clip again - because he went head first into the Royal Bank of Scotland paint he looked like William Wallace from Braveheart from the 10th minute. It's just nonsense. I know it's headlines for you guys, but it's a distraction ahead of this week's game."

Hadden also said he had telephoned O'Sullivan yesterday "to try to speak to him. I haven't spoken to him yet so it remains to be seen what the outcome of that is.

"We're playing them in a (World Cup) warm-up game and there's all sorts of things to talk about. I guess it will be interesting to hear what he says about this, what his take on it is. It will be interesting to find that out."

Meanwhile, Italian flanker Mauro Bergamasco could be ruled out of Saturday's finale in Rome after he was cited by the commissioner at last Saturday's Italy-Wales game, Jean-Claude Legendre of France, for foul play contrary to law 10.4.a. (a player must not strike an opponent with the fist or arm).

Bergamasco's hearing will be held in London today, and given video footage shows him punching Welsh outhalf Stephen Jones, who had to leave the field, it seems likely the Azzurri's match-winner will be suspended from the game against Ireland.

With Italian coach Pierre Berbizier favouring a five-two split between forwards and backs among his replacements to accommodate the introduction of an entirely new frontrow in the final quarter, the home side ran out of backline cover last Saturday. But Bergamasco, a sometime winger for the Azzurri under John Kirwan, joined his brother Mirko in midfield and touched down Ramiro Pez's late chip into the Welsh in-goal area for the decisive try. His loss would be significant.

There was no further update last night on the length of Paul O'Connell's absence because of a fractured thumb, while the signals from the Irish camp are that Marcus Horan will be named today in the team to face Italy, pending fitness tests on his groin injury later in the week.

In O'Connell's absence it is expected Mick O'Driscoll will be named to partner Donncha O'Callaghan, with Trevor Hogan on the bench.