London Scottish reacted with "outrage" yesterday to suggestions that the flanker Simon Fenn's grotesque injury at Bath last weekend was not the result of a bite.
In the latest bitter exchange of words between the clubs, London Scottish chief executive Richard Yerbury claimed a "smokescreen" of misinformation was being created and demanded an apology from Bath's honorary surgeon Philip Bliss.
Within hours of the Bath and England prop Kevin Yates being summoned to appear at a club disciplinary hearing on Tuesday to determine who or what left Fenn requiring 25 stitches to his left ear, Scottish were back on the warpath over Bliss's reported comments there was no evidence to suggest the Australian had been bitten.
"Bliss's comments caused outrage at London Scottish as he has not examined Simon's injury, nor is he ever likely to do so," said Yerbury, dismissing the speculation as "unhelpful and unnecessary". He added that he expected Bliss to apologise and stressed London Scottish had clear evidence that teeth had caused the damage.
"It was a bite. It was not a rugby boot. Anyone who watched the game or has seen a video of the incident will recognise that it would have taken the act of a contortionist with stiletto studs for a boot to have caused Simon's injury," insisted Yerbury, coincidentally a Bath member.
"We have no doubt it was a bite that caused the damage and attempts to claim otherwise are starting to seem like a smokescreen. We want to resolve this disciplinary process properly and not turn it into a circus, but we will take very firm steps to slap down attempts to divert attention from the real cause of the injury."
Yerbury even suggested the duty doctor who examined Fenn, Cled Jones, should disown the comments attributed to him by Bliss on the grounds it was "improper to discuss the player's injury with someone else". Bath, conscious of legal quicksands, were forced to issue a statement underlining that Bliss was airing his own personal views and had not been encouraged to do so by the club.
Scottish clearly feel Fenn's wound, which may yet necessitate plastic surgery, is being obscured beneath a pile of blurred testimonies aimed at reducing the odds on a clear-cut verdict. They are also stubbornly refusing to remove Federico Mendez's name from the original citing documents sent to the Rugby Football Union, even though he and Victor Ubogu have been told they have no case to answer by their club.
The RFU, in turn, is still waiting for Bath's formal response to the charges, which must reach Twickenham today before they set a date for their own disciplinary hearing. It will be heard by an independent panel at a neutral venue, almost certainly next week.
Inevitably, there is speculation about what will happen should Bath find Yates, currently suspended on full pay, not guilty of any misdemeanour, a state of affairs which would leave the RFU in a cul-de-sac. Throwing Bath out of the Tetley's Bitter Cup - their fifthround tie against Richmond is tomorrow week - is an option thick with legal thorns; no action will prompt accusations of failure to see the wood for the trees.
Wasps, meanwhile, welcome back Alex King at fly-half for their televised visit to Welford Road tomorrow. Gareth Rees moves to centre and the centre Nick Greenstock is on the bench for the first time since dislocating a shoulder in an England training session in November.
The French wing Philippe Saint-Andre's recurrent thigh problems have ruled him out Gloucester's West Country derby at Bristol on Sunday.
Worcester last night suspended their back row forward Chris Scott until February 9th following an incident that left Nottingham wing Nick Carroll nursing a broken jaw in two places. The former Neath and Newport flanker will miss Tetley's Bitter Cup giantkillers Worcester's lucrative fifth round home tie against Newcastle on Sunday week.
Scott, banned for the shock cup victory over Bristol two days ago, has accepted his punishment, which was imposed by club disciplinary chiefs. "I am glad the matter has been dealt with quickly and efficiently," he said, while Worcester disciplinary committee chairman Adrian Harling added: "Incidents such as these cannot be tolerated within the game."
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