England were fined £10 000 pounds and a member of their coaching staff given a two-match touchline ban at a hearing in Sydney on Thursday over the World Cup favourites’ fielding of a 16th player against Samoa.
Tournament officials announced the punishment after a near-four-hour disciplinary hearing in Sydney attended by England coach Clive Woodward and players Dan Luger and Andy Gomarsall.
A statement read by Rugby World Cup spokesperson Chris Rea said England had admitted a charge of misconduct after fitness coach Dave Reddin ignored match officials and ordered Luger on to the pitch at the end of the Pool C match.
Reddin was banned from the touchline for two matches, Rea said.
Rea said tournament officials accepted an apology from the Rugby Football Union (RFU), which had acknowledged the blunder in ordering Reddin to go ahead with Luger’s substitution.
But he said ”there was a specific direction given to act contrary to the instructions of a match official and a £10 000 fine was imposed”.
A second misconduct charge brought against Reddin in relation to a reported tunnel bust-up with New Zealand match official Steve Walsh was dismissed.
RFU spokesperson Richard Prescott said England accepted the fine and the two-match ban for Reddin over Luger’s substitution.
”The England squad and management accept the judgement and now look forward to the fixture against Uruguay on Sunday,” he said.
Prescott said the team was pleased that the separate charge against Reddin over the alleged altercation with Walsh had not been upheld.
”The England squad is delighted that this verdict has been reached. Dave Reddin is and will continue to be a valuable and well respected member of the squad,” Prescott said.
England won the Melbourne thriller 35-22, but the Luger incident in the closing moments cast a cloud over the success.
It led to calls from some in the Australian media for England to be hit hard even to the extent of being docked the five points they won against Samoa.
Woodward had already admitted England were at fault.
”It was an error I can assure you and yes, there has been an [internal] investigation,” Woodward said.
Samoac brushed off the controversy.
”We are not unhappy and we are not taking it any further, that’s not our way,” coach John Boe said. ”I think the Cup is a lot bigger than one minor incident like that.”
Woodward and the rest of the England delegation had come to Sydney from Queensland’s Gold Coast where they are preparing for their final pool game against Uruguay on Sunday in Brisbane. — Sapa-AFP