Leinster lodge appeal

The Leinster Branch yesterday formally appealed to the European Cup organisers ERC against Stade Francais' right to be declared the winners of Pool A on the basis that the French side fielded an ineligible player in the sides' meeting at Donnybrook on December 12th.

A Leinster Branch spokesperson confirmed that "Leinster believe that when Brian Lima played for Stade Francais in the Heineken Cup, he was ineligible to participate under the tournament rules.

"Accordingly, we are appealing the right of Stade Francais to proceed to the quarter-final stage as winners of Pool A."

The unofficial word emanating from within ERC is that Lima's eligibility for that game was verbally sanctioned by an ERC official, most probably the chairman Jean-Pierre Lux. Only subsequent to that game did it transpire that Lima was still registered with the Samoan federation at the time of the Heineken Cup deadline on November 12th.

Lux himself stated yesterday that the fault was not Stade's, a position re-iterated by the French club's chairman and benefactor Max Gauzzini. Both expressed the view that as Stade yielded no points from the game, that depriving them of points and hence a quarter-final would make no sense. "I cannot understand why Leinster are appealing," Gauzzini added.

In response, Leinster point out that a verbal agreement is not the correct way to do business. ERC Ltd will probably now request all documentation regarding Lima's registration and signing before their next board meeting on February 27th, before which no decision is likely to be made.

It still seems a forlorn hope on Leinster's part, not least because of the financial factors; arguably the most important of the lot. Were Stade deducted points, and denied a quarter-final place, they would miss out on the Stg£180,000 prize for reaching the last eight and the built-in potential to earn another £180,000 for reaching the semi-finals.

Furthermore, while it would give Ireland a third place in next season's reduced 20-team competition, it would deny France the opportunity of gaining a sixth place in the 2000-2001 tournament, and thus might even incur the risk of French withdrawals/boycotts.