[h=1]Schmidt unhappy with O'Connell decision[/h]
Leinster coach Joe Schmidt was damning in his reaction to the incident involving Paul O'Connell and winger Dave Kearney in last weekend's PRO12 Match, which left the wing left the field unconscious. Schmidt said that he could not understand why O'Connell was not being cited.
Schmidt spoke before Leinster's training session at UCD claiming that a dangerous precedent had been set in the game and that parents looking at the incident where theMunster lock kicked Kearney on the head, may have second thoughts putting thier children into rugby.
"I think the baseline that has just been created by the citing commissioner is an incredibly dangerous one," said Schmidt. "90,000 hits on You Tube. That's kids and parents. If that's deemed by an individual to be an acceptable act on a rugby field…"
Schmidt continued to say that while nobody had any doubt about the quality of the man that O'Connell is or his intentions, but he was unequivocal about the dangerous nature of the incident and the way it was handled.
"I think any one who has been involved in an incident where someone has to leave the field in that condition…we can get into semantics, the toe, the shin, the foot….You just cannot fly hack near someone's head like that."
O'Connell was deemed to have no case to answer when an Independent Citing Commissioner reviewed the incident on Sunday.
Leinster confirmed that Kearney is set for a spell on the sidelines. hewas released from hospital on Sunday morning and will follow the return to play guidelines for head injury.
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/schmidt-unhappy-with-o-connell-decision-1.1362086