No penalty for Bourgoin B-list team

BOURGOIN will almost certainly face no sanction from the Heineken Cup organisers, ERC Ltd, for fielding a second-string team against Leinster in their Pool 2 clash at Lansdowne Road on Saturday night.

Although the only official comment from ERC on the matter last night was “no comment,” it is understood that despite the French outfit fielding a patently sub-standard team in the 92-17 drubbing by Leinster, nothing will be done to penalise them.

Each of the Bourgoin players involved in the game were in the original 33-man squad nominated by the club for the tournament and, as such, the club were not in breach of any regulations.

And, even if the organisers were anxious to remind the club that they should have selected their best possible combination, they have no effective way of proving that Bourgoin did not do so.

Even if it appears that the French team have decided to sacrifice their Heineken Cup campaign in order to protect their bid to win the French Championship, ERC Ltd are powerless to sanction them.