THE HERALD REPORTS

Ulster call for withdrawal rules to be tightened

KEVIN FERRIE May 24 2006

Ulster officials have called for the Celtic League board to tighten up rules that are allowing Scotland's international coach to weaken the Edinburgh Gunners side that will face their title rivals Leinster on Friday.
Frank Hadden's decision to pull leading players out of the final round of Celtic League matches could help Leinster snatch the title when they visit Murrayfield on Friday should Ulster, the leaders, lose at Neath-Swansea Ospreys the same night.
Mike Reid, Ulster's chief executive, said they could not afford to be distracted by the issue, since victory for them at the Ospreys will mean Leinster cannot catch them and they have to prepare on the basis that their fellow Irishmen will take full points.
"It is my belief that whether Edinburgh had put out their star-studded team or Edinburgh girls' school, Leinster are still capable of beating them and scoring four tries. They [Leinster] can do that against anybody," he said.
Reid also acknowledged that the Irish Rugby Union has been far from blameless in the past in terms of how it treats the Celtic League. He noted, though, that the competition has been gaining credibility with each passing year and that it is important that it continues to do so.
"The whole issue after the event is for the Celtic League board to look at but our focus is purely on beating the Ospreys. It [the situation] is not ideal, but it shouldn't take our concentration away from what our job is," he said.
While protocols permit the national coaches in the Celtic countries to withdraw players from matches in the week before Test matches, Reid noted that teams are otherwise expected to play their strongest possible XVs.
He questioned whether a friendly, for which caps will not be awarded, against the Barbarians ought to be treated in the same way as an International Rugby Board-sanctioned Test.
At a time when the SRU is looking to find private investors to back the pro teams, the situation also cuts to the heart of whether the teams are seen as important in their own right or are merely a stepping stone to the international team.
All the more galling for Ulster is the contrast with the attitude struck by the Ospreys, who are set to reject calls from Gareth Jenkins, the new Wales coach, to rest players ahead of their tour of Argentina.
"We have a duty to our supporters, sponsors and players to pick our best available side," said Sean Holley, their assistant coach. "We are a proud bunch and we don't want to watch Ulster win the title on our ground when we are the reigning champions. There is a lot in it for us and we will pick a very strong side. We owe that to the league and we owe it to Ulster as well."
The SRU last night issued a statement claiming to clarify their position while re-stating their commitment to the Celtic League. However, when pressed, their spokesperson could not say which Glasgow Warriors and Border Reivers players had been withdrawn from their squads and admitted that the entire question of the availability of Edinburgh Gunners international squad members remained "grey".

This article was posted on 24-May-2006, 06:52 by Hugh Barrow.