NEWS ROUND-UP:NEIL BEST'S appeal against an 18-week suspension for eye-gouging has been dismissed by an English Rugby Football Union panel. The 29-year-old Northampton and Ireland flanker remains suspended until January 27th.
The ban covers eight rounds of English Premiership action, all of Northampton's European Challenge Cup and, of course, all of Ireland's autumn schedule.
Best was suspended last Wednesday after admitting he had "made contact with the eye or eye area" of Wasps flanker James Haskell during Saints' 24-20 victory at Franklin's Gardens.
It was only Best's third game for the club following his summer move from Ulster.
The RFU panel accepted Best had not intentionally searched for Haskell's eye. But they did not agree with Best's account that contact with Haskell's eye had been "fleeting", and they described his actions as "grave".
Northampton decided to challenge the ban after taking legal advice, but the appeal panel threw out their case at a London hearing last night.
Northampton have moved quickly to bring in cover for the Belfast flanker with yesterday's signing of the South African Juandre Kruger, a 23-year-old, 6ft 6in forward.
Kruger is regarded as one of the country's most promising prospects. He has impressed with his versatility at lock and backrow this season and has regularly played with and been preferred to the experienced Springboks Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha in the 2008 Bulls team.
Meanwhile, the Worcester prop Chris Horsman has been charged with kicking his Harlequins opposite number Mike Ross.
The Wales international was cited by the independent officer Rob Hardwick after the Warriors' 30-23 defeat at Sixways last week.
Horsman will appear before a three-man RFU disciplinary panel in Bristol on Thursday.
The Ireland head coach, Declan Kidney, has finalised his coaching staff ahead of the autumn international series next month with yesterday's appointment of Paul Pook, who will join the team as strength-and-conditioning coach up to and including the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
Given that one of the several possible reasons offered by management for Ireland's flat, poor showing at the World Cup in France last year was overtraining, Pook's appointment would appear to be an important one from the points of view of both the Welshman and Ireland.
Pook, a former professional player and a Wales Sevens representative, has worked in sports science and fitness since 1994.
Specialising in rugby fitness, Pook worked with the Welsh club side Ebbw Vale for two seasons and the Wales under-21 team between 1998 and 2001.
He then moved to the English Premiership side Harlequins, where he remained head of fitness until 2005.
Since then he has worked with a number of high-performance teams, including the Ireland under-21s.
