Horan cited after Manu incident

MUNSTER, London Wasps and Perpignan could all be without key front-row forwards when the Heineken Cup resumes on the second weekend in January.

ERC revealed yesterday that Marcus Horan has been cited for allegedly kicking his Llanelli Scarlets opponent, Deacon Manu, shortly after coming into the Munster front-row for Sunday’s game at Thomond Park. The citing was lodged by the citing commissioner Bill Dunlop (Scotland) and the independent disciplinary committee will be appointed as soon as is practicable.

But Munster are fortunate to have both the Argentine-born Italian prop Federico Pucciariello and the promising Darragh Hurley (Cork Con) well qualified to fill the number one shirt.

Wasps didn’t pick England’s World Cup captain Phil Vickery for their Heineken Cup game against Clermont Ferrand after he was cited for stamping in the previous week’s game against the French side while Australian-born English international prop Perry Freshwater is also under investigation for allegedly using his elbow to inflict a nasty eye injury on London Irish flanker Kieran Roche.

The player in deepest trouble of all may well be Clermont wing-forward Jamie Cudmore who has been cited for constant punching of Wasps prop Tim Payne, in an incident that led to a spectator, Alan Black, a former Wasps captain and current English RFU employee, becoming involved in the bust-up to such an extent that he was thrown out of the ground and is facing a lengthy ban from the game.