Falcons face one-year Euro ban for not fulfilling Amlin fixture

NEWCASTLE have been handed a one-year ban from European competition, suspended for five years, and fined €25,000 after pleading guilty to a charge of misconduct at a European Rugby Cup disciplinary hearing in Dublin yesterday.

The punishment relates to the Falcons’ Amlin Challenge Cup Pool Three clash against Bourgoin, which was scheduled to be held on Saturday, January 22.

The match was postponed due to an unplayable pitch at Stade Pierre Rajon and rescheduled for the following day, but the Falcons chose to return to Britain before a pitch inspection at midday. The fixture was never played but, with neither side able to reach for the quarter-finals, it had no impact on which sides progressed from the pool.