Coombes supported by Munster after alleged groin grab in Aviva derby

Gavin Coombes accused an unnamed Leinster player of grabbing his groin late in the first half of Munster's 24-18 United Rugby Championship derby defeat by Leinster at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. He raised the allegation with match referee Andrew Brace during the game.

Munster head coach Clayton McMillan publicly backed Coombes and said the matter should be left "for the powers that be", referencing the citing commissioner who can review and punish retrospective incidents. "All I know is that I back our players 100% that if they make an allegation like that, they wouldn't do it lightly," McMillan said. "He's not that sort of person, Gavin, so we'll see where that goes."

Coombes told officials the incident occurred with an unnamed Leinster player at a ruck towards the end of the first half. He raised the allegation with match referee Andrew Brace at the time. The television match official, Colin Stanley, reviewed the footage but could not find any video evidence of the incident.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said he did not see the incident and described it as a "serious matter" for the citing commissioner. Cullen also said it "looked like he [Coombes] changed his mind halfway through the accusation".

"That's the way it sounded, once the scrum was packing down," said Cullen. "But I don't know. Obviously, once that accusation is made, it becomes a serious matter for the citing commissioner. "My comment is not going to help in any way here, but from what I've seen, I can't see anything."

McMillan and Cullen both indicated the allegation would be handled via the formal citing process rather than by the match officials during the game, leaving any retrospective action to the citing commissioner after review.