Ex-Irish ref boss slams ‘nonsense’ narrative around Tadhg Furlong testicle grab allegation and calls for ‘hefty’ ban like Springbok if guilty
Owen Doyle wades into the Tadhg Furlong testicle grab allegation.
Tadhg Furlong should be slapped with a hefty ban if found guilty for grabbing Gavin Coombes’ testicles during the United Rugby Championship clash between Leinster and Munster.
That is the opinion of former head of Irish referees Owen Doyle, who has hit out at those who have suggested that the Munster forward should have remained mum on the allegation.
Furlong will face a disciplinary committee meeting on Thursday after being cited in the URC clash after citing commissioner Peter Ferguson made a complaint about an act of foul play.
Owen Doyle hits out at ‘nonsense’ notion
The tighthead prop has been cited under Law 9.27: “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 incident comes almost exactly a year after Bulls and Springboks forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels was handed a nine-week ban after he was accused of grabbing the genital area of Connacht’s Josh Murphy – an incident Ferguson dealt with as citing commissioner.
Doyle believes that if Furlong is found guilty of the same act, then he should be given an equally heavy suspension – which would rule him out of Ireland’s Nations Championship fixtures.
“The quality of the Leinster–Munster match on Saturday has been overshadowed by Gavin Coombes’s extremely serious complaint,” Doyle wrote in the Irish Times this week.
“His allegation that his groin was interfered with led to Leinster’s Tadhg Furlong being cited by Ulsterman Peter Ferguson. If proven and the consequent judicial verdict is guilty, then a hefty sentence is the only outcome possible.
“Some people hold the opinion that Coombes should have kept schtum, adopting a rugby-style code of omerta. That is just nonsense. He was absolutely right to call it.
“Previous foul play that was comparable has resulted in a 10-week ban for England’s Joe Marler when he committed the offence on Alun Wyn Jones. And last year, the Bulls and South African player Jan-Hendrik Wessels received a ban of nine weeks for grabbing the genital area of Connacht’s Josh Murphy. So, a potential sanction will, one imagines, at least be similar to these. It will hardly be enough.”
Robin McBryde defends Furlong
In the aftermath of the incident, Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde came to the defence of his tighthead prop.
“I know Tadhg. If I were to give him a character reference, I wouldn’t ask this. He’s got no history of anything like that,” he told reporters.
“We play guessing games … if anybody wants to comment on it other than Tadhg, really. Just let the process take its course.”
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He added: “Discipline is very important to us. If you haven’t got discipline, you’re not going to win anything, you’re not going to get into finals or anything because it’s massive desperation when you give away red cards, yellow cards.
“It shows that you’re not in control of things. Listen, in the big games, things happen, do you know what I mean? So I don’t view, yeah. Like I said, there’s a process there to go through, so just let that process go.”
