Leinster stunned by referee report leak

THE Leinster Branch said last night they are “flabbergasted” by the leak of the referee’s report from the Magners League clash between Leinster and Munster at Lansdowne Road on October 6.

A Leinster spokesman added that Brian Blaney’s situation has been “prejudiced” as a result.

The leak detailed outbursts made by Leinster coaches Michael Cheika and David Knox, and hooker Blaney, towards referee Simon McDowell.

Leinster coach Cheika and his assistant Knox have been fined by the Leinster Professional Management Committee.

Both were made pay a “significant fine” while also signing up to new guidelines when dealing with referees

However, Blaney faces an IRFU disciplinary committee comprising of members from the Connacht and Exiles branches tomorrow to discuss his behaviour, which was also captured on video.

The referee’s report is understood to contain details of the hooker “pulling my (McDowell’s) shirt and querying a decision in a physically threatening manner”.

In the same report Cheika is alleged to have “added tension to the situation, waving his arms and shouting directly at myself, using abusive language”.

A Leinster spokesman said last night: “Already there has been an article in the paper and excerpts of a referee’s report even before Brian Blaney knew there was an issue.

“Now Brian’s case could have already been prejudiced by having an article in the paper with the referee’s report, which should not have been revealed to the paper.

“We were, to put it mildly, flabbergasted in Leinster (by the leaks). I don’t want to damage Brian Blaney’s chances of a fair hearing but it was disgraceful that details of a referee’s report would appear in a paper even before a player has been told there was going to be a disciplinary issue.

“It’s extraordinary.”

The spokesman added: “Both the coach and the assistant coach have been given a monetary fine and also agreed on a new protocol in relation to dealing with referees going forward.

“They were never to be brought before the IRFU disciplinary committee on Wednesday. There was a piece in a Sunday newspaper dealing with Cheika and Knox going to a disciplinary committee but that was never the case. Brian Blaney is going because he is a player.”

The IRFU’s Referee Development office would not comment on this specific case.

“Without speaking about a specific incident, it’s obviously unhelpful if any report on a disciplinary issue is put into the public domain before it’s dealt with,” said a spokesman.