Leinster are expected to name Cian Healy in their side for the RaboDirect Pro12 clash with Treviso by using a loophole in his ban.
Healy was suspended for three weeks on Wednesday, forcing him to miss Ireland's matches against Scotland and France after his ban was deferred for this weekend on the assumption that he would not be selected by Leinster.
However with the suspension not due to start until midnight on Sunday, Leinster believe they are well within their rights to use him against Treviso.
Ireland are yet to make a decision on whether to appeal the suspension.
"Cian is certainly available. (Leinster coach) Jose Schmidt and (Ireland coach) Declan Kidney have talked about the involvement of Test players this weekend," said Leinster forwards coach Jonno Gibbes.
"Cian's available and personally I'd be delighted to involve him, he's a really big asset. He will definitely be considered.
"There's are complications for others maybe, but he's available for us. It's a game in the break of the Six Nations and he's under consideration.
"Nothing is surprising when the rugby judiciary is involved. You have to go in with an open mind because you never know what will come out of it."
The matter is far from clear however as Ireland coach Kidney has been told that the prop is not allowed to play turning the situation into a fiasco.
"Experience has taught us to wait for the written judgment or explanation to come down and we'll take it from there concerning any appeal," said Kidney, who will wait until the written judgement is published before considering an appeal.
"Let's see what's in the judgment.
"It's certainly an option that he could play for Leinster this weekend, but we've been told that he's suspended and he's not allowed to.
"Cian's had a lot going on - a lot goes on with the citings process the way it is. There would certainly be benefit in him playing given everything that's happened.
"We asked the question yesterday whether he could play this weekend and we were told no, he is suspended."
Comments
jontheref says...
The sooner they make bans accrue to the competition they are in the better.
if you are sent off, cited in a test, you don't play in the next tests.
Then Hore would not have got a mickey mouse ban,that includes preseason games!
The clowns in charge have left a loop hole for him to play.
more fool them!
Don't blame leinster.
Posted 22:09 15th February 2013
lacroix says...
Healey, IRFU and Leinster -all managing to make Irish rugby look very bad.
i think that a punitive approach to cynical appeals would be a good thing.
Posted 20:34 15th February 2013
papachinzo says...
Sorry IRB, but if the Judge says the ban starts next week, then he can play this week. Its their own fault for assuming !! They can't haul him back in and penalize him for abiding by the sentence... If they wanted to get things right, they should have started the ban the minute he got it.
@bullitt For a stamp like that, the length of the ban was fine. 2 international matches is fine, if it happened at club level it would have been 3-4 matches.
Posted 15:50 15th February 2013
dafyddg84 says...
I wonder if the Leinser Branch are acting in behald of the iRFU here and towing the party line to try to get the ban to start from midnight last week and thus allowing CH to play against France...
Posted 13:43 15th February 2013
deprop says...
Why should he not play ? The judgement to delay the start of the suspension was based on the assumption he would not play this weekend so was delayed to have what they considered would be maximum affect (ie - missing 2 Six Nation matches). They have created the 'vacuum' and I see no reason why Leinster should not fill it. The moral question is another issue but no rugby club in the modern era is constrained by issues of what is right and what is wrong. Only winning and losing counts. Whether that is good or bad is another question entirely.
Posted 11:40 15th February 2013
catfish001 says...
What are you all saying? The citing commission screwed up? Never! They wouldn't dream of doing something like that!
Hope you all detected a hint of sarcasm there. As much as I disagree with Healy being allowed to play for Leinster, as someone said before me, they are probably paying him a fair whack to play, so they are going to want get as much out of him as they can.
Posted 10:24 15th February 2013
99call says...
Sorry got my number of weeks wrong I said 2 but its 3 so before you lot start calling me what ever name comes into you head I apologise, got it mixed up with when he was able to play another 6n game, the 3 weeks with the defered week makes him miss the france game which he would have been allowed to play had they not defered the start which I still think is a joke.
Anyway everyones entitled to their own opinion whether you think its 1 eyed or not for example I though Warburtons sending off was fine but stangely enough my welsh didnt agree who'd have thought it
Posted 09:47 15th February 2013
lastman says...
Toss!! I'm a Leinster fan, and if the management want to come up with some "word game" to allow him to play then they're going to lose respect from everyone! He should be banned- for longer then 3 weeks!- and that should be the end of it. It's unlike Leinster to get involved in this kind of rubbish.
Posted 09:46 15th February 2013
99call says...
bullitt can me one eyed all you want but I think the incident deserved a 2 week ban which strangely enough is what he got!!!!! not the 3 or 4 weeks that everyone is going on about
The idiotic part is the panel thought it would be clever to defer the start by a week supposedly to try and show the rugby public that they are strong and will deal with these incidents by giving the appearance of the longer ban than they actually handed down which has backfired on them, so if theres a game before the ban starts then he available to play
I will admit that a ban is necessary and the panel think, as do I, that 2 weeks was enough, Im sick of the knives out reaction on here that 4 weeks is not enough and one idiot calling for 2 to 3 months
Posted 09:36 15th February 2013
Coshie78 says...
You cannot blame Leinster, they pay him a significant salary and are within their rights to play him if the idiots at the citing committee have bungled the ban...
Why on earth they didn't ban him for 6 weeks from the incident, 2 weeks off for previous record. Same result, no confusion...
They obviously think the incident warrants him missing the next 2 internationals, the number of weeks is irrelevant...
In my opinion the incident deserved more, had it been an England player I would've considered it a result to have them back for the Wales game.
Posted 09:26 15th February 2013
feckin_eejit says...
Ridiculous that he should be allowed play, but it's not Leinster's fault if the judiciary have made such a cock-up - and if they have, then Leinster are well within their rights to "exploit the loophole" and show up the cretins in the IRB. It's the only way they'll learn!!!
F Arse
Posted 08:59 15th February 2013
porridge_time says...
Utter sham if this guy is allowed to play this weekend. The IRB judicial system really is farcical they just get it wrong on so many levels.
Posted 03:49 15th February 2013
jcahill1 says...
@ Boksmashoffice
I went to Belvedere College. Patently untrue.
Posted 00:19 15th February 2013
FatboyGinge says...
What a load of old cobblers. Ban should be immediate.
Posted 21:12 14th February 2013
jcahill1 says...
@ Boksmashoffice
No he wasn't.
Posted 20:55 14th February 2013
QKRAM79 says...
@bullitt... Obliterated at te scrum... Are you on drugs?
Posted 20:13 14th February 2013
Headhunter99 says...
I'd like to claim the moral high ground and say that the English, French or Scottish club/provinces would not select a player who had the same International ban, BUT.... I know they would also look to manipulate the system.
This is the professional era and some of the old amateur standards died long ago.
Posted 19:17 14th February 2013
TVaddict says...
Hahahaha. This is hilarious! Hilarious in the way that America wants to solve gun crime by introducing more guns. As in hilarious in a that is so stupid how does this happen kind of way. What a joke the top men in rugby administration are. We, as the fans who are suffering, should try to organise something to get things changed.
Posted 18:54 14th February 2013
daibok says...
The ban was a joke - 3 weeks for a stamp that could have broken an ankle. This 'availability' just compounds the inconsistencies.
F arse indeed.
Posted 18:38 14th February 2013
boksmashoffice says...
The man is suspended. This makes a joke of the rules. What if he stamps someone on sat?
He was nicknamed 'bungalow' at Belvedere College. We all saw why on sun.
Posted 17:20 14th February 2013