RUGBY:Shane Jennings has been cleared to play in Leinster's Heineken Cup match against Wasps on Saturday after successfully appealing his three-week ban this evening. The flanker had been banned until January 27th for punching Andrew Farley during the Magners League win over Connacht at the RDS at the start of the month.
The ban would also have ruled him out of the final European pool match against Edinburgh.
After a two-hour hearing this evening, a appeal committee retired to consider the case and released a statement shortly before 9pm.
“The three-man IRFU Appeal Committee found that under the Magners League Tournament Rules and particularly the Disciplinary Rules therein that no jurisdiction is given to a disciplinary committee to investigate a citing complaint of a citing commissioner appointed under those rules,” the statement read.
“As a result the appeal of Shane Jennings is allowed and the suspension lifted. Shane Jennings is free to play from this point on.”
In other words, there is no provision in the tournament rules for a disciplinary hearing arising out of a citing.
Nevertheless, the news is a huge boost to Leinster, whose coach Michael Cheika, can now factor Jennings into his plans ahead of naming his team tomorrow afternoon.
