Leinster to learn O'Brien's fate today

RUGBY:IT NEVER rains but it pours. Unsettled by injuries, player availability and most of all their second Magners League defeat in three games in Treviso last Saturday, Leinster yesterday learned that their flanker Sean O'Brien has been cited for allegedly making contact with the eye area of a Treviso player.

O’Brien’s fate will be learned today at a hearing in Ravenhill at 5pm in front of an IRFU disciplinary panel comprising of Harry McKibbin (chairman), Stephen Hilditch and Neil Jackson. According to a union statement, the Leinster backrower “was cited by the independent citing commissioner who was present at the game under law 10.4 (l) for allegedly making contact with the eye area of a Benetton Treviso player in the 62nd minute of the game”.

If the citing is upheld, O’Brien would face a 12-week suspension.

The incident actually took place in the 61st minute, when Leinster replacement hooker Heinke van der Meuwe carried the ball into contact and was tackled by the replacement Treviso backrower Enrico Pavanello. Leinster’s replacement hooker, Richardt Strauss, became entangled with Pavenello after helping to clear the ball away and as the two players grappled on the ground, with Pavenello underneath Strauss, O’Brien attempted to pull the Italian player away by his headgear with the fingers of his right hand.

It looked silly rather than dirty, and though O’Brien’s hand briefly ran along Pavenello’s face, there didn’t appear to be any attempt to gouge Pavenello, while apparently neither player was even aware of the incident having taken place.

The IRB recommended sanctions for a player found guilty of “contact with the eyes or the eye area” range from 12 weeks (Lower End) to 18 weeks (Mid Range) to 24+ weeks (Top End).

So it was that, despite an appeal, Leinster flanker Shane Jennings was suspended for 12 weeks last season for making contact with the eye area of Nick Kennedy of London Irish in the first round of the Heineken Cup in October.

The season before, the Munster flanker Alan Quinlan missed out on the Lions tour when he was also suspended for 12 weeks for making contact with the eye area of Leinster captain Leo Cullen during the Heineken Cup semi-final at Croke Park.

It is understood that Treviso would be supportive of O’Brien if they are asked for their view of the events. Their team manager, Marius Goosen, told The Irish Times yesterday: “All I can say is that we didn’t know about the incident until the Leinster manager, Guy Easterby, rang me yesterday. It does look bad on the video but as far as I’m aware nothing happened (to Pavenello). We didn’t even know it (the incident) had happened.”

Leinster will await the outcome anxiously, as they also will regarding daily updates on the well-being of Jonathan Sexton and Devin Toner in the run-up to Friday’s away game against Edinburgh. Both have resumed full training this week, and Sexton looks set to start after straining a quadricep during kicking practice in the warm-up before the game against Cardiff last Saturday week, while Toner is in line for his first appearance since injuring his shoulder against Munster in April.

It is also anticipated that Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Heaslip will return to the starting line-up after missing the defeat in Treviso as part of the player welfare programme.

As with the winless Edinburgh, the Murrayfield game has assumed a dog-eat-dog importance for both sides and yesterday Leinster’s young outhalf Ian Madigan conceded that they have a few areas to work on. “At the forefront of that would be our ball retention and we need to be more clinical at the breakdown. Then in attack maybe we need to offer more with our lines of running.

“There was definite disappointment in the dressingroom afterwards because it was the third game in a row that we have gone ahead and fell behind in the second half. That’s something that we have to address.”

Madigan pointed to Edinburgh’s doggedness and the place-kicking of Chris Paterson in also highlighting the importance of discipline, and added: “They’re none from three, and we have won just the once in three games, so both teams are going to look to win the game. So we’re expecting a close one on Friday. Both teams know that if either side loses that they will be in the bottom three (of the Magners League), but if you win you could find yourself back in the top four. So it’s a very important game for both of us.”