THE French Rugby federation (FFR) have given prop forward Franck Tournaire a one-match ban for kicking the Ireland replacement hooker, Allan Clarke, in the face during the international at Lansdowne Road last Saturday.

This is a derisory punishment and one that can only be interpreted as "going through the motions" of imposing discipline.

Tournaire will now miss the international between Wales and France in Paris on February 15th. When one bears in mind the suspension imposed on Peter Clohessy last season - 26 playing weeks for stamping on Olivier Roumat in the international in Paris - the decision of the FFR does no service to the game.

The suspension was imposed after IRFU and FFR officials had viewed a video of the incident on Saturday night and decided it was mutually agreed that the mater he dealt with by the FFR. Tournaire had not been cited, thus the match commissioner John Dance of England was not involved.

Earlier in the week, the FFR said they were sending a video to the IRFU alleging it contained incidents where Irish players were not punished for foul play. The incidents involved Ireland captain Keith Wood, second row Paddy Johns and scrum-half Niall Hogan.

That video has been received by the IRFU, and was viewed yesterday by union officials. The position is now being assessed, but the view yesterday, after the video had been seen, was one of surprise that the French had made these allegations.

There is, I gather, nothing on the video that could be construed as meriting any action against the players, nor any action on the field that warranted a yellow card for any Irish player. Two French forwards were given yellow cards by South African referee Andre Watson - second row Olivier Merle and number eight Fabien Pelous.

Wood was penalised and spoken to by the referee early in the game when a penalty decision in favour of Ireland was reversed. But the referee dealt with that, thus this incident plays no part in the French allegations.

IRFU secretary Philip Browne said yesterday: "We have received the video from the FFR and it is now being assessed. If we deem it necessary, after that, to pursue the matter we will."

In relation to the suspension imposed by the FFR, he said: "We have no comment to make on it other than to say that they have dealt with the matter as they have obviously seen fit."

French Federation president Bernard Lapasset complained that Ireland had not followed the rules in the Tournaire case and should have complained to the Five Nations' Championship disciplinary committee.

"But the FFR admit they have witnessed unacceptable misbehaving from Tournaire during the match and that this should be punished," said Lapasset.

He added that France would not sanction players in the future if normal procedures were not followed and said Tournaire would be allowed to continue playing for his club, Narbonne.

"We hope this decision settles the matter," he said. "But we would understand if Ireland took appropriate measures concerning their own players."

Meanwhile, the Welsh selectors have made no changes for the match against Ireland in Cardiff tomorrow week. This was expected following their 34-19 win over Scotland in Murrayfield last Saturday.

The team includes only five of the side that lost 30-17 to Ireland at Lansdowne Road last season. Three of the backs who played in match are named again, Ieuan Evans, on the right wing, and the half backs Arwel Thomas and Robert Howley.

The survivors in the pack are hooker and captain John Humphreys and second row Gareth Llewellyn. But there are others who have played against Ireland, including centres Scott Gibbs and Allan Bateman, prop David Young and back row forward Scott Quinnell, who have all returned from rugby league. Fullback Neil Jenkins has played against Ireland five times, but always at outhalf. Left wing Gareth Thomas played against Ireland in the World Cup in 1995.

The Welsh A team to meet Ireland in Pontypridd next Friday includes 13 full internationals, with three more on the bench. The kick-off time for that match has been changed from 2.30 to 7.15 p.m. The Ireland Under-21 team will also meet Wales next Friday with a 2.30 kick-off. That match will be played in Bridgend.