Sheahan gets a ticking-off

WHEN Frankie Sheahan arrived back at Cork Airport from Australia late last night, he turned his clock back seven hours to comply with local time.

Buried in the back of his mind somewhere must have been the burning desire to turn the hands of his watch all the way back to last September.

Reports from the Irish camp yesterday appeared to indicate that the box-ticking of the player after his drug test in Toulouse were to blame for his temporary suspension from all playing activity.

However, it has now emerged that the tiny administrative error that forced Sheahan's return from Australia occurred in September of last year.

At the start of every European Cup campaign, each registered player must sign a document grandly titled "The Heineken Cup 2002/03 Anti-Doping Programme Player Consent." In the document, each player is asked to agree to one of the following statements: "I have no current medical need to use any of the prohibited substances listed at clause 2.5.1" or "I have a medical need to use one of the following prohibited substances for the treatment of asthma." The drug traced in Sheahan's sample, Salbutamol, was one of the listed prohibited substances but in the document submitted to the ERC, the Munster hooker failed to tick with either of the statements.

After his drug test in Le Stade Toulousain, Sheahan indicated on a form that he needed to take the drug Salbutamol for the treatment of his asthma. However, because the form submitted back in September was considered the master document, the information contained in it superseded anything that the post-drug test form contained.

It's hard not to feel sorry for Sheahan, but the rules are the rules and the ERC are quite within their right to enforce them. Perhaps some clarification should have been sought to sort out the confusion, but if there's one thing you can be sure of, it's that Sheahan, or indeed any of his Irish or Munster teammates, will pay a lot more attention when it comes to submitting next year's documents. The annoying thing for Sheahan is that this is the very first time he has made this mistake. Before the Six Nations Championship, the player sent a similar consent document to the IRB indicating that he needed to use the prohibited drug found in his sample to control his asthma. Every other year Sheahan has done the same thing, but one mistake has dragged his name through the mud.

A spokesman for the IRFU last night confirmed that it was Sheahan's own job to ensure all his medical details were correct, although he did admit that the number of declaration forms that players needed to complete was ridiculous.

"It is the player's responsibility to make sure that their medical details are correct," said the spokesman, "but clearly this was a oversight by Frankie. He was been playing professional rugby for the last seven years and he has always outlined his need for Salbutamol in documentation. The real problem here is that a player has to complete a medical form for each competition he plays in. I don't understand why just one form can't just be completed and sent to the International Rugby Board."

Irish manager Brian O'Brien yesterday indicated that if the controversy was sorted out within the next few days, Sheahan would be welcomed back to Australia with open arms by the management, but this is unlikely to happen. Firstly, another 23-hour flight across seven difference time zones would surely have a massive affect on the player's fitness levels, while the ERC's reputation for concluding matters in a swift and satisfactory manner is not great. It could be at least a couple of weeks before the ERC make a final ruling on the decision.

Until then, Sheahan is suspended from all rugby activity and in terms of October's World Cup, the hooker's place in the squad may be under some jeopardy. Shane Byrne of Leinster and Ulster's Paul Shields are the only fully fit hookers left on the tour and with Byrne expected to sit out Ireland's games in Tonga and Samoa, their could be a huge opportunity for Shields to stake his claim for a World Cup squad slot.

Meanwhile, the Ireland players who arrived in Australia on Saturday had their first run-around yesterday afternoon and the only fitness worry concerns Paddy Wallace, who has a sore foot.

Eddie O'Sullivan will name his team to face Australia on Tuesday lunchtime, and the captain for the test will also be named.

In the Australian camp, it appears their potent back-three combination is set to be unleashed against Ireland as the Wallabies look to play the ball wide in the Test in Perth.

The Wallaby coaching staff believe greater involvement from the fullback and wingers is the key to disrupting the solid defensive patterns that have evolved since the 1999 World Cup.

The Wallabies are missing eight potential backline members but coach Eddie Jones has the luxury of fitting four quality players into his back-three positions.