Tournaire can expect ban

VIDEO evidence from Saturday's match at Lansdowne Road is likely to lead to disciplinary action against the French tight head prop, Franck Tournaire, for allegedly stamping on Ireland replacement hooker Allan Clarke early in the second half.

Officials of the IRFU and the French Rugby Federation (FFR) met late on Saturday night to discuss and view the incident. Now the matter has been referred to the FFR to take any action they deem appropriate.

The incident happened in the 44th minute after France won a line out and drove forward. Clarke fell to the ground trying to make a tackle, and the video shows Tournaire come in behind Clarke and catch the Irishman on the face with his right boot. Neither the referee nor either touch judge picked up the incident.

The IRFU issued the following statement yesterday: "An incident in the match, highlighted on television, involving the French number three, Franck Tournaire, and Allan Clarke, the Ireland number 21, caused the IRFU concern. Representatives of the IRFU and FFR viewed and discussed the incident and it was agreed that the matter should be dealt with by the FFR."

The IRFU was represented by Syd Millar, a member of the International Board, manager Pat Whelan and secretary Philip Browne. The French federation was represented by team manager Jo Maso, coach Jean Claude Skrela and assistant coach Pierre Villepreux. I understand that at the meeting, Maso intimated that the matter will be dealt with by the federation.

The French team returned home yesterday, but the FFR did not issue any statement, and I gather it was decided that no action would be taken yesterday, but that there is likely to be a development today. How severe the penalty, if any, will be is a matter for the FFR.

As the IRFU decided not to cite Tournaire but to deal with it in the manner they did, the match commissioner, John Dance of England, was not involved. Had he been called in and felt there was a case to answer, then Tournaire would have been called in to state a case and any disciplinary action deemed necessary would have been taken away from the authority of the FFR.

It is the second successive year that an incident in the Ireland France match has led to video evidence being used to substantiate and verify stamping allegations. Last season tight head prop Peter Clohessy was suspended for 26 playing weeks after being found guilty of stamping on Olivier Roumat.

An important procedural difference with the Clohessy incident and Tournaire is that Clohessy was cited, so the match commissioner, Alan Hosie of Scotland, was a central figure in the disciplinary action taken. Clohessy was suspended within 24 hours of the match.

Maso had said at the after match press conference on Saturday, when the issue was raised: "If something is revealed then we will take action. But we will have to be sure."

Last season French centre Richard Dourthe was seen on video to have deliberately kicked England forward Ben Clarke. The English union did not cite Dourthe, but said the FFR had a responsibility to take action. After what seemed initial reluctance, the FFR eventually suspended Dourthe for two matches. See also pages 2 and 3.