The Leinster and Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong has been cleared by a disciplinary committee after an allegation that he grabbed the groin of Munster‘s Gavin Coombes during a United Rugby Championship (URC) game.
Coombes alleged during Munster’s 24-18 defeat at the Aviva Stadium that he had been grabbed at a ruck, but the television match official (TMO) Colin Stanley could not find conclusive video evidence after a referral from referee Andrew Brace.
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Furlong was subsequently cited, though, under Law 9.27, which states “a player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship including but not limited to grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals”.
On Thursday, however, the 33-year-old was cleared of sanction at a hearing, leaving him free to feature in Ireland’s Nations Championship games in November.
“Having reviewed all of the evidence and considered the submissions in this case, the Independent Disciplinary Committee unanimously concluded that the citing complaint against the Player should be dismissed, on the basis that he did not commit an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.27,” a URC statement said.
“Notwithstanding the dismissal of the complaint, the Independent Disciplinary Committee found that Munster No 8, Mr Gavin Coombes, had given an honest account of his recollection of events surrounding the incident, and that the Citing Complaint was properly brought before the Independent Disciplinary Committee for determination.”
