The Leinster Branch yesterday started the process whereby they might ultimately launch a formal complaint regarding the probability that Stade Francais played an ineligible player, the Samoan winger Brian Lima, against Leinster at Donnybrook on December 12th.

It is believed that the European Cup organisers, ERC Ltd, formally held an inquiry into the allegations that Lima was ineligible when he played for Stade in their 24-23 defeat at Donnybrook, and duly discovered that he was.

Yesterday the tournament director Roger Pickering conveyed, through ERC's press relations, that "if a complaint is formally received we will investigate the matter through the normal procedures."

Originally, the chief executive of the Leinster Branch, Barry O'Sullivan, confirmed that they "haven't objected to the legality of the player and the intention at this stage is not to object."

But the Leinster Branch confined their response to merely "seeking clarification" in a short statement yesterday: "The Leinster Branch is seeking clarification from European Cup Limited concerning the possibility that Stade Francais played an ineligible player in the Heineken Cup."

However, the influential Leinster Branch honorary secretary, Sandy Heffernan, went a little further. He said that following a telephone conversation with Pickering the branch were "asking him for the facts as we're just trying to see where we stand." In the event of ERC's response indicating that Lima may have been ineligible then the branch will formally lodge a complaint.

All inquiries yesterday were referred to Pickering, who could not be contacted and therefore could not confirm reports that the ERC had sanctioned Lima's appearance at Donnybrook on foot of a request by Stade Francais, and that this in turn was based on false information from France.

There is little doubt that Lima was not eligible to play given that the ERC registration deadline expired on November 12th, and the player did not arrive in France until shortly before his debut in Donnybrook on December 12th.

It is also believed that on foot of investigating Lima's registration after the Donnybrook game, the ERC discovered that Lima had not been released by Samoa before the registration deadline. ERC then contacted Stade and advised them that the player would not be eligible for the remaining pool games. Hence Lima never appeared for Stade in their subsequent pool games against Leicester and Glasgow Caledonians.

One of the many ambiguities of this case is that another Pool A team, Leicester, were denied permission to play their recently signed Kiwi tight-head John Akurangi in the European Cup.

Furthermore, a precedent of sorts was set when Agen were deducted four points for fielding one ineligible player in the Shield against Roma, and four against Brive. The difference here, however, is that Agen won both games and thus were deducted the number of points they gained from those matches.

Quite why ERC Ltd have to wait for a formal complaint before deciding on a given punishment is curious, but on the premise that the Leinster Branch do lodge a formal complaint with ERC Ltd it seems likely that Stade will have to be punished to some degree.

Nevertheless, even though Stade clearly breached the tournament's rules regarding the eligibility of players, it seems unlikely that ERC Ltd will risk incurring the wrath of the French any further by deducting points from the Parisian club.

As it is, the ERC are taking some flak from the French over the Richard Nones affair by insisting that their two-year suspension meted out to the Colomiers prop be applied to all competitions. Any deduction of points against Stade would result in their elimination as Leinster would be declared Pool A winners. This in turn would mean them facing Munster in the quarterfinals, and in the process ensure an Irish team in the semi-finals and by extension earn Ireland a third participant (namely Leinster) in next season's European Cup.