Kelleher backs life ban for Clohessy

ONE of the most respected officials in Irish rugby added his voice yesterday to the condemnation of Peter Clohessy's behaviour at Parc des Princes last Saturday. And Kevin Kelleher could speak with some authority, having been a leading, international referee from 1960 to 1972.

During that period, Kelleher gained significant media exposure for what was considered to be an extremely brave decision in sending off the celebrated All Blacks second row, Colin Meads, for kicking an opponent. It happened in an international match against Scotland at Murrayfield in 1967 when Meads became the first representative player for many years to receive the ultimate sanction.

A member of the Lansdowne club and headmaster at St Conleth's College in Ballsbridge, Dublin, Kelleher is also the long serving honorary secretary of the schools section of the Leinster Branch of the IRFU. Though noted as a strict referee, he was responsible for the sending off of only one player other than Meads, in a Leinster Senior Cup match.

"I watched the incident several times over on television and, quite frankly, I was absolutely appalled," he said of Clohessy's action in stamping on the side of Olivier Roumat's head. "It was horrific. He could have killed him.

I have always been of the view that a player should never be permitted to put his boot to the body of an opponent. Once you allow that level of violence, you may as well give them knives. To stamp the side of a fellow's head is absolutely then claimed that Clohessy should have been banned for life. "On the basis of his previous record, I would put him out of the game for keeps," he said. "If Saturday's incident proved any thing, it was that he hasn't learned from his previous experience of disciplinary hearings.

"For him to claim that he didn't do it deliberately and that he wasn't aware of `any problem' until a few hours after the match, simply won't wash. As far as I am concerned, it wasn't an accident. If he wasn't aware of what he was doing, he shouldn't have been on the pitch."

Given Kelleher's involvement with young people, both from educational and rugby playing perspectives, I wondered how he thought they would have viewed the Clohessy incident. "I believe they will have the good sense to see it for what it was," he replied. "In my view, the amount of publicity it is receiving will have the effect of making it totally unacceptable."

But he was concerned about its effect at a different level. "From my involvement with schools rugby, I can see a situation in which parents, mothers in particular, would wonder what they were letting their sons in for by allowing them to play rugby. That could be damaging.

"It is important for us to remember that we are talking about a sport. And I don't see how anyone can countenance raking or stamping in any circumstance. I simply cannot go along with the widely held notion that once an opponent is preventing you from getting to the ball, it is acceptable to rake him out of it."

Meanwhile, the esteem in which Kelleher is held internationally is reflected in an incident four years after the Murrayfield affair. "I was invited by New Zealand television to participate in a special `This is Your Life' programme on Meads," he said. "I immediately agreed to go on the show as the special, surprise guest and there were no hard feelings between Colin and myself.

"I never had any problem arising from my decision at Murrayfield. I am satisfied that present day referees are like minded. And the authorities shouldn't be afraid of long suspensions. In fact, I can remember that before the second World War, the Leinster Branch suspended a certain club player for five years for dangerous play. In that context, the 10 week ban imposed on Clohessy in 1993 was clearly not enough."