Ospreys facing threat of points deduction

WELSH side Ospreys could suffer a Magners League points deduction as the fallout continues from their request to postpone a rescheduled match with Ulster.

The game had been due to take place on March 19 – the night before Wales faced Ireland in Dublin – but the big-spending Welsh region cried off, claiming they didn’t have enough available front-row players for their matchday 22.

However it subsequently emerged their squad was given that week off.

Ospreys assistant coach Jonathan Humphreys claimed: “We were extremely short of front rowers. Cai (Griffiths) had been banned, Richard Hibbard was injured, so we would have had to go to the Premiership to fulfil the fixture.”

But that wasn’t the case when Blues had to delve into the Premiership for front-row players to face Gloucester earlier this month in a LV Cup semi-final.

But Humphreys maintained: “There would have been an issue.”

The Ulster game has now been rearranged a second time for April 13.