RUGBY: Leinster have cited Leicester flanker Lewis Moody for an alleged stamping incident on Brian O'Driscoll during last Sunday's Heineken Cup quarter-final at Welford Road.
It is the second time this season Leinster have cited a player for foul play in the competition. Adrian Garvey, Newport's tighthead prop, was given a six-match suspension following a stamping incident on Nathan Spooner in the second half of Leinster's pool match against Newport in December after he was cited by the Irish team's management.
Team management submitted video evidence to the IRFU, who passed it on to the European Rugby Cup (ERC) yesterday afternoon shortly before the 48-hour deadline expired. The ERC issued a statement confirming that Leinster have cited the player for a "deliberate stamp to head/face".
A Leinster official said that the stamping incident occurred in the 21st minute when the Irish and Leinster centre went to ground in a maul. O'Driscoll was not seriously injured.
"Win, lose or draw we will always protect our players. That is why we are citing Moody and that is why we cited Adrian Garvey," said a Leinster team spokesman. "From what we saw on video evidence from the Leicester match, Brian O'Driscoll was certainly subjected to foul play."
Meanwhile, the Ireland team faced more uncertainty heading into Sunday's first match of the this year's Six Nations Championship against Wales at Lansdowne Road when Leinster flanker Keith Gleeson and prop Paul Wallace were promoted from the Ireland A squad to the senior squad.
The Gleeson move is seen as a purely precautionary measure, as Eric Miller has picked up a stomach bug, while Wallace is selected to fill a vacancy left in the original senior squad.
The changes greatly add to coach Eddie O'Sullivan's growing injury problems for his first match in charge following his appointment after Warren Gatland's departure.
If Miller does not recover he will join hooker and captain Keith Wood (calf), second row Malcolm O'Kelly (cheekbone) and winger Shane Horgan (ribs) on the sidelines next Sunday.
Gleeson has, with Miller, been an outstanding success in the Leinster squad this season at openside flanker, while Ireland and Lions front row Wallace has been making steady progress after a horrific injury to an ankle while playing for his former club Saracens at the beginning of last season. Gleeson and Wallace are Blackrock colleagues.
Meanwhile, Leicester's Dean Richards has said the club would be interested in Irish scrumhalf Peter Stringer if he became available but insisted that he had not approached the player.
"I don't know what Peter's contractual position is and I'm certainly not aware of him being available," said Richards. "But he is a very good player and if he was available, most clubs would be interested in him.
Richards was responding to reports that Leicester had already prepared a bid for the player and had assigned an agent to begin negotiations.
Yesterday's postponed Leinster Schools' Senior Cup first round match between Gonzaga College and CBC Monkstown has been rescheduled for tomorrow in Donnybrook at 2.30.
