O'Kelly faces an ERC hearing over alleged stamping

RUGBY NEWS ROUND-UP: LEINSTER SECONDROW Malcolm O'Kelly has been called to appear before an ERC-commissioned independent disciplinary committee hearing in Dublin on Thursday following an incident in Leinster's 19-12 Heineken Cup defeat by Wasps at Twickenham on Saturday.

According to the official ERC communiqué “the citing lodged by the citing commissioner for the match, Aurwel Morgan (Wales), is for an alleged stamp on London Wasps player Phil Vickery (number three) in contravention of Law 10.4 (b). The independent disciplinary committee will be chaired by Rod McKenzie (Scotland) and will also comprise Jean-Etienne Bernard (France) and Robert Williams (Wales)”.

The law in question states that “a player must not stand or trample on an opponent”. O’Kelly’s indiscretion was caught by the Sky Sports television cameras and while he received a yellow card from referee Christophe Berdos on the intervention of touch judge Jean-Luc Rebbollal, the nature of the offence was also likely to merit further investigation.

It is completely out of character for the Leinster and Ireland secondrow to be embroiled in such an incident but any connection between one player’s boot and another’s head is taken very seriously and the likelihood is that had referee Berdos witnessed the episode then the colour of the card would have been red.

O’Kelly will put his case to the disciplinary committee, one of three to be heard that day, of which his will be the last. Dax lock Mikel Bert – the French club play Connacht in a Challenge Cup pool match on Friday – will be first in followed by Cardiff wing Tom James, the latter receiving a straight red card for sticking his head into the face of Gloucester hooker Olivier Azam in last weekend’s pool match at Kingsholm.

Should O’Kelly receive a suspension then Leinster coach Michael Cheika is likely to have to play without his two first-choice second rows for Sunday’s pivotal pool match with Edinburgh at the RDS. Team captain Leo Cullen departed in the first half of the Wasps match after damaging the same shoulder that had undergone surgery; ironically the original injury was sustained in the reverse pool fixture against the London club at the RDS last October.

Cullen underwent a scan at the Sports Clinic in Santry yesterday afternoon, the results of which will be known this morning. The player conceded: “It’s not a recurrence of the same problem but it is the same shoulder. The surface was slightly greasy and I remember taking the ball through the first contact and then being tackled.

“When I fell I skidded as I hit the ground and I twisted the (shoulder) joint as I took my body weight on my elbow. I knew straight away that I was in trouble because I had no power in the arm and therefore had to come off because I would have been no good to the team. An educated guess might be a torn rotator cuff but I won’t know until I get the results. It’s hugely frustrating but I’ll just have to wait and see.”

Cullen was joined on the sideline before the interval by props Stanley Wright (back/neck) and CJ van der Linde (foot), both of whom who had passed late fitness tests only to succumb to existing injuries during the first half. O’Kelly’s sinbinning – not to mention the ridiculous yellow card given to Rob Kearney – meant Leinster had to address several issues at the interval, not least of which was the lineout.

Cullen explained: “Losing four of the starting front five makes it very difficult, particularly in relation to the lineout. Seán O’Brien (a flanker who came on for Wright) spent most of half-time being filled in on his new responsibilities as a “prop”. In fairness to Jenno (Shane Jennings) and Rocky (Elsom) they did a very good job in putting a structure in place.”

Given an eight-day turnaround between the Wasps and Edinburgh matches, the Leinster squad return to training this morning when Cheika will be in a better position to evaluate the injury situation.

Hooker Bernard Jackman came off at Twickenham because of cramp, while Brian O’Driscoll sustained a bang to the neck and a facial cut: both should be available for selection.

An extended squad for the Edinburgh game will be announced tomorrow evening.