Disciplinary committee set to decide Hayes’ fate
A citing commissioner is appointed for all matches in the tournament and is entitled to cite a player for any act of foul play that in the opinion of the commissioner warranted the player being shown a red card, even action has already been taken by match officials.
Hayes was red carded by referee Simon McDowell on the advice of his touch judge in the 57th minute of Saturday’s game. He will be accompanied to the hearing in Belfast by Munster manager Shaun Payne and a legal representative.
This is the first time that Ireland’s record capped player has been sent off. Hayes built up a reputation as one of the most sporting and honest personalities in the game. Referees rarely had a problem with his scrummaging style or any other aspect of his game and that’s why there has been a massive sense of shock and almost disbelief at the RDS incident.
The investigating committee will try to decide if there was any sign of intent on Hayes’s part or whether it could have been a very unfortunate accident. If they find him guilty of serious foul play, they could impose a suspension of four to eight weeks and that would cause him to miss Munster’s forthcoming Heineken Cup matches against Northampton and Treviso and perhaps the three November internationals against Australia, Fiji and South Africa.
On the other hand, the player’s blemish-free record over such a lengthy period of time and the fact that he has never been involved in anything remotely untoward up to this will prove a massive factor in his favour. Hayes is said to be deeply upset by the incident.
When Jerry Flannery was cited for a similar misdemeanour after a Heineken Cup game in Clermont last season, he was initially suspended for eight weeks but it was later reduced to four on appeal.
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