Jennings appeal upheld and ban lifted

LEINSTER FLANKER Shane Jennings has won his appeal against a three-match suspension imposed by an IRFU disciplinary committee, and will therefore be eligible for the province’s crucial Heineken Cup pool match against Wasps at Twickenham tomorrow.

Jennings was cited for striking Connacht secondrow Andrew Farley during the Magners League game at the RDS, and subsequently received a three-week ban at a disciplinary hearing. That would have kept him sidelined until Tuesday, January 27th, two days after Leinster’s final European pool match against Edinburgh at the RDS.

The player, supported by the province, elected to appeal the decision, and his case was heard last night by a three-man IRFU committee, chaired by Pat Barriscale with Harry McKibbin and Robin Cole.

The hearing began at 6.30pm and lasted just over two hours before the committee retired to discuss the case.

Just before 9pm the committee decided to uphold the appeal.

The IRFU released a statement that read: “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.

“As a result, the appeal of Shane Jennings is allowed and the suspension lifted. Shane Jennings is free to play from this point on.”

What this says, in effect, is that it is not written anywhere in the rules governing the Magners League – it is understood, but not written – that a disciplinary hearing should arise in the event of a citing during the match.

This anomaly is bound to be rectified immediately by the Magners League.

Jennings’ success will be a huge fillip for Leinster ahead of their pivotal clash with Wasps.