Cork Con considering legal action over Munster Senior Cup expulsion

CORK CONSTITUTION were last night considering their next move, if any, in the ongoing row with the Munster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union over a decision to remove the club from the Munster Senior Cup for being unable to fulfil a semi-final fixture against Young Munster recently.

Club officials were meeting with legal advisors at a meeting that ran for several hours last night and they are considering taking legal action against the branch. The club is expected to issue a statement today.

The Temple Hill club insisted that there was no valid reason why they should not have been allowed play the semi-final on a date other than the one fixed by the branch. The club declined to fulfil the fixture on the basis that they would not have had an adequate spread of fit and suitably qualified front-row forward players as, they say, is obliged by law.

Senior members of the club pointed out that, following the refusal of the Munster Branch to allow their argument, Magners League bosses followed IRB rules and allowed Welsh club Ospreys a successful request for postponement of their game with Ulster fixed for Ravenhill tonight for exactly the same reasons that Con applied for the game to be deferred.

They also highlighted the example of another club in Munster who, in similar circumstances two seasons ago, were allowed defer a Munster Cup match.