Five-week ban for Cudmore

CLERMONT AUVERGNE lock Jamie Cudmore has received a five-week ban after being sent off in last weekend’s Heineken Cup clash against Munster at Thomond Park.

The Canadian international was dismissed by English referee Chris White for punching Paul O’Connell.

A three-man independent disciplinary committee meeting in London yesterday suspended Cudmore after deciding his offence was “mid-range” in its level of seriousness for striking.

Cudmore, who has the right of appeal, is banned from December 13 up to, and including, January 18.

The independent Disciplinary Committee was chaired by Christopher Quinlan (England) and also comprised Peter Brown (Scotland) and John Glackin (Ireland).

Wales Grand Slam stars Gavin Henson and Mike Phillips are set to make their comebacks when the Ospreys face Magners League opponents Newport Gwent Dragons tonight.

Henson, who missed Wales’ entire autumn Test series due to an Achilles’ tendon injury, will be at full-back for the Rodney Parade clash.

Scrum-half Phillips, meanwhile, has been named among the Ospreys replacements after recovering from a serious knee injury.

Phillips, arguably the leading scrum-half in Europe last season, has not played since Ospreys’ EDF Energy Cup semi-final victory over Saracens almost nine months ago.

But both players are now on course to feature in the Ospreys’ remaining Heineken Cup pool games next month and challenge for places in Wales coach Warren Gatland’s RBS 6 Nations squad.

Meanwhile, the credit crunch is reaching into all parts of the game, so much so that the NZRFU have reluctantly decided that the popular New Zealand Maori team be withdrawn from the Pacific Nations Cup.

New Zealand will be represented in the fledgling competition by the Junior All Blacks — effectively New Zealand A

New Zealand Maori played instead of the Juniors in this year’s tournament but New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said yesterday that priorities had changed, with the union’s finances set to plunge into the red in the global economic slowdown.

Tew said that while the union believed New Zealand Maori were the best fit for the Pacific Nations Cup, the development of elite players was a more urgent priority in 2009.

The decision followed Wednesday’s announcement by the Australian RU that it would withdraw Australia A from the competition next year.

Tew also announced reductions in spending on domestic and women’s rugby. “If economic conditions improve over time, we hope to be able to reinstate some or all of the programmes which will be affected in 2009,” he said.