Tadhg Furlong cleared by disciplinary panel over groin allegation

Tadhg Furlong was cleared on Thursday by a disciplinary committee of an allegation he grabbed Gavin Coombes in the groin during Leinster’s United Rugby Championship win over Munster at the Aviva Stadium, and is now free to play in Ireland’s Nations Championship games next month.

Gavin Coombes raised the complaint with match referee Andrew Brace in the first half of Leinster’s 24-18 victory at the Aviva Stadium, but television match official Colin Stanley was unable to find conclusive video evidence. Furlong, a three-time British and Irish Lions tourist, was subsequently cited under Law 9.27, which states "a player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship including but not limited to grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals".

The disciplinary panel, consisting of Simon Thomas (Wales), Attie Heyns (South Africa) and Pamela Woodman (Scotland), met on Thursday to consider the citing. The panel "unanimously concluded the citing complaint against the player should be dismissed, on the basis that he did not commit an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.27". The committee therefore dismissed the complaint against Furlong.

While dismissing the case, the panel also set out its view of Coombes’s evidence, saying he had given "an honest account of his recollection of events surrounding the incident". That acknowledgement did not alter the panel’s finding that the standard for a foul play sanction under Law 9.27 was not met.

Having avoided a sanction, Furlong, 33, will be available for selection for Ireland’s Nations Championship home matches against Argentina, Fiji and South Africa and for the finals weekend fixture at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.