Rugby player apologises for head-butting critic

Irish rugby reserve hooker Frank Sheahan has been fined £2,500, severely reprimanded and warned about future conduct by the Irish Rugby Football Union after a swift investigation by the game's governing body into allegations he head-butted a supporter in London on Saturday.

However, the uncapped 23-yearold Cork Constitution and Munster player has retained his place in the Irish squad as understudy to the team's captain, Keith Wood, for the game against Scotland at Lansdowne Road tomorrow week.

Mr Terry Gormley (32), a computer technician from Dublin, said he suffered a black eye after being head-butted in Jurys Hotel in south Kensington late last Saturday, following Ireland's 50-18 defeat by England in the Six Nations Championship.

Sheahan was summoned to a four-man committee of inquiry in Dublin yesterday, comprising Mr Billy Lavery, president of the IRFU, Mr Eddie Coleman, senior vice-president, the team manager Mr Donal Lenihan and the IRFU's chief executive, Mr Philip Browne.

The player apologised to Mr Gormley and, according to the IRFU's statement, "his apology has been graciously accepted".

Sheahan also apologised to the IRFU and was quoted as saying: "I greatly regret my involvement in this incident and I have apologised personally to Mr Gormley. I also regret the embarrassment this has caused Irish rugby."

Mr Browne said: "The union does not condone such misconduct by players and greatly regrets the involvement of one of its contracted players in this incident."

Mr Gormley admitted he and some of his friends had criticised a number of Irish players in Jurys Hotel prior to the incident. He said he was merely seeking an apology, stressing that "ideally I would like to put it behind me", though yesterday morning he said legal action was "a possibility" if no apology was forthcoming.

However, on foot of Sheahan's apology and the IRFU statement, Mr Gormley said: "That's grand. It's dead and buried, and I wish him all the best if he gets on on Saturday week." Mr Gormley said he would also be in attendance at Lansdowne Road for the Scottish game.

The Irish management has dropped three players from the team which faced England in Twickenham - full-back Conor O'Shea, scrum-half Tom Tierney and former captain Dion O'Cuinneagain, in an enlarged squad of 25.

The Irish manager, Mr Lenihan, is expected to be named manager of the British and Irish Lions squad to tour Australia in the summer of 2001.