Ospreys in trouble....AGAIN

[TRF_Olyy]

Those bloomin' Ospreys,
This time it's for postponing that Magners match when they had no props:

"
"The reason for the postponement is that Ospreys are unable to supply suitably experienced front-row players in their match squad as is required under the Magners League rules and International Rugby Board rules."




However it has transpired that the Ospreys had given their squad members that week off, "

Naughty naughty!
Could face a loss of points and a fine

http://planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_6079611,00.html

 

[Cymro]

If you read the BBC's article

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/ospreys/8606012.stm

However, the Liberty Stadium region had earlier stated they had never agreed to the 19 March date for the Ulster match, which was originally called off on 8 January due to bad weather.

The Ospreys claim they did not want the 19 March date because they had already given the players and management leave between 12 and 22 March and had given Ulster three alternative dates which had been turned down.

Also no other team loses as many players as the Ospreys due, in particular in the Six Nations. If you look at that weekend Swansea were playing Neath (on that day). Wales Under 20s were playing Italy. So the argument comes from, where were they going to get the players from?

 

[dullonien]

Yup, can't see anything coming of this. There was simply no cover atall for the injured players + players on Wales duty. The match should never have been resheduled for a date such as this, where the Ospreys were always going to be missing a full compliment of first choice players + a raft full of understudies, not when the original fixture would have been a full strength one! The Ospreys obviously wouldn't have agree'd to this date, so why was this date still chosen? Personally think the Magner's League governing body are more at foult here for not deciding on a more appropriate date in the first place.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yup, after reading Cymros link it's definatley Magners fault if they were aware that the Ospreys players wouldn't be available, but still scheduled the match for then

 

[dullonien]

Ospreys fined £100,000 and docked four points from next season's Magner's League.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/ospreys/8606012.stm

That's rediculously harsh. Honestly didn't see how this was the Ospreys fault. They surely have a say about when a re-scheduled game is played? It was severely unfair for the Lague organisers to expect it to go ahead on a weekend where not only was Wales playing, but the U20's, Swansea and Neath aswell. Who the hell did that leave them with, especially with another couple of props out injured?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Youch!
That really is harsh

 

[DuncTheDoodle]

Fine OR points reduction. Not both. I hope the Ospreys win the league, just because we've been fined so much it needs to be repayed osmehow.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

This shows just how ridiculously bad the Magners League administration is. Ospreys deserve every bit of their penalty but the points deduction should have been this season and the hearing should have taken play a couple of weeks ago. The Magners League's tardiness means Glasgow have to travel to Ospreylia for the semi final when it should be the other way around.

 

[munstermuffin]

Lads in a way I agree with this penalty to some extent.

Fair enough they had players away on international duty but you can't use the Neath vs Swansea game as an excuse as the ML is a more important fixture and the derby game could've been rearranged.
It was a petit excuse and well it will hopefully strike fear into any other team that tries a stunt like that.
I'm sure they'll appeal and get a reduced penalty.

On bright side if it was with IRFU who were dealing with case a simple warning is all that'd be handed

 

[dullonien]

I'd agree that posponing a game isn't usually the right thing to do. But this wasn't the original date set for the game, it was a re-sheduled match due to bad weather. How in the world is it fair to have it re-sheduled for such a weekend where practically all players are unavailable? Just to put this in complete perspective:

- It was in the middle of the 6 Nations, so no Adam Jones, Bennett or Paul James
- Duncan Jones and Richard Hibbard were injured (possibly another aswell)
- Swansea were playing Neath, probably one of the biggest derbies in the Premiership. Try telling them and their fans that they've gotta loose some players for some RE-ARRANGED Magner's fixture.
- Wales U20's were playing that weekend, further weakening Swansea and Neath.
- Ospreys maintain that they would have been breaking recently formed laws stating that players of decent experience are required in the front row for a Magners game.
- The Ospreys had also previously arranged that week as time off for the remaining players and coaches etc.
- Accoring to the Ospreys, they hadn't even agreed to that date!

So why exactly should the Ospreys have just accepted the forced re-arranged fixture, which would inconvenience their staff, players and their feeder clubs and fans? I don't quite get it......

I do agree with Snoop though, that if they deemed a four point deduction necessary, it should have come off this seasons tally, not next. I know the original hearing was posponed due to the difficulties in travelling caused by the volcano ash, but it's taken them an age to get it sorted since then. £100,000 is just stupid no matter how you look at it! What if this were the Scarlets, Connacht, Dragon's etc. who simply couldn't afford it?