Colleagues rally round Sheahan
Sheahan himself was in Thomond Park on Friday to watch Munster play their seasonal opener against Rotherham, still unsure of his future ahead of his appeal and ahead also of the naming of the Irish squad to travel to the World Cup in Australia in October.
Wallace, himself an asthma sufferer, actually played in the game against Rotherham on Friday evening, and admitted afterwards that he was never aware of any danger in using a Ventolin inhaler.
"To be perfectly honest I would have been like Frank in that I'd take puffs of my inhaler whenever and as often as I felt I needed to. I wouldn't have known that I could be in danger of exceeding limits, and I can honestly say that there probably would have been times in the past when, if I'd been tested, I could have found myself in the same situation that Frank now finds himself in," he said.
"The point is that people like us, asthma sufferers, don't take Ventolin for the hell of it. We have to take it. And from what I've read it seems ERC took no notice whatsoever about Frank's condition."
O'Gara another who suffers from asthma voiced his concern at the decision to ban Sheahan and the manner at which it was arrived.
"I just think it's unbelievable really. Frankie and I have played together since we were 10 years of age and he always had to use his inhaler before and during matches. I have seen him in distress many times as a result of his asthma, and I know that, like myself, it would be unsafe for him to play without using an inhaler.
"I was with Frankie after the Toulouse game and witnessed his terrible cramping as a result of his severe dehydration. There seems to be no logic in the decision that the ERC tribunal arrived at. How can they ignore his condition and deny him his right to earn a living? I think this is a grave injustice and I hope that this wrong can be righted in the appeal, not only for Frankie's sake but for the sake of all asthmatics," he said.
In the meantime, Eddie O'Sullivan and the rest of the Irish rugby management will be in attendance as Connacht take on London Irish in a pre-season friendly to mark the official opening of the new Connacht Rugby headquarters at the Sportsground this evening (6.30pm).
Manager Brian O'Brien said it was an opportunity to run the rule over both sides before the new season.
"We are always striving to unearth new talent and this is a very appealing match, as it gives us the opportunity to watch Connacht as well as check out the Irish-qualified players with London Irish.
"Several members of the Connacht side have come into Irish squad sessions, and Connacht full-back Mark McHugh was honoured with his first full cap against Tonga this summer," he said.
Four players will start in a Connacht jersey for the first time. Clontarf's David Hewitt starts at out-half in place of the injured Eric Elwood, in a backline that has a familiar look to it.
Two more Clontarf clubmen are in the front row, with the return of hooker Bernard Jackman who moved to Sale Sharks a few seasons ago while Adrian Clarke starts at tighthead.
Elsewhere, All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu and record scorer Andrew Mehrtens have missed out on New Zealand's World Cup squad.
Lomu, scorer of more World Cup tries than any other player, ran out of time in his bid to prove his fitness and form after returning to action recently.
The 28-year-old has been undergoing dialysis treatment for a rare kidney ailment for several months and has barely played this year.
Mehrtens has also endured an injury-plagued season and did not take any part in New Zealand's triumphant Tri-Nations campaign.
Coach John Mitchell has predictably relied on the core 26 players who secured a second successive crown and regained the Bledisloe Cup.
In the absence of Mehrtens, goalkicking duties will fall to Spencer, who has achieved a fair 63% record this season.
The All Blacks, who are World Cup favourites, are in a group with Wales, Canada, Italy and Tonga.
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