Tadhg Furlong cited over alleged groin grab in Leinster win over Munster

Tadhg Furlong has been cited over an alleged groin grab during Leinster’s United Rugby Championship victory against Munster, BBC Sport reported on Monday. The Ireland prop faces a disciplinary process following the derby at the Aviva Stadium, with no finding or sanction announced in the reporting.

Watch the highlights:

The citation concerns Law 9.27, which prohibits conduct contrary to good sportsmanship and explicitly covers grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals. The United Rugby Championship said it was arranging the disciplinary process and would release further details.

Munster number eight Gavin Coombes brought the complaint to referee Andrew Brace late in the first half of Saturday’s match, which Leinster won 24-18. According to the BBC’s account of the incident, Coombes alleged that an unnamed Leinster player had grabbed him at a ruck. Television match official Colin Stanley was unable to locate video evidence at the time.

After the match, Munster head coach Clayton McMillan expressed his support for Coombes. He said his players would not make an allegation of that kind lightly and indicated that the matter should be left to the relevant authorities. His comments preceded Monday’s news that Furlong had been cited.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said after the game that he had not seen the incident and could not identify anything in the footage he had viewed. He also suggested Coombes appeared to change his mind while making the accusation, but acknowledged that the complaint was a serious matter for the citing commissioner.

BBC Sport reported that a guilty finding could put the 33-year-old’s availability for Ireland’s Nations Championship programme at risk. That includes Dublin fixtures against Argentina, Fiji and South Africa, along with the finals weekend in London. Any impact on those matches remains dependent on the disciplinary outcome.

The BBC also identified potential consequences for Leinster if a lengthy suspension followed, including their Investec Champions Cup pool fixture against Sale and festive derbies against Ulster and Munster. The next step is the URC’s announcement of the disciplinary arrangements.