Ruling deprives Edinburgh of hooker cover

Published on Thursday 13 January 2011 19:40

EDINBURGH have now encountered European rugby red tape after a bizarre ruling by ERC bosses yesterday left them to face Northampton tonight without any genuine cover at hooker and mired in the possibility of raising legal action.

• Edinburgh prop Kyle Traynor is his team's back-up hooker tonight after Sean Crombie was not allowed to sit on the bench. Picture: SNS

Following Glasgow's discovery that Johnnie Beattie was not eligible for their final Heineken Cup matches, which was Glasgow's fault and nothing to do with ERC, Edinburgh are asking serious questions of the ERC's rules after they insisted that Sean Crombie could not sit on the bench at Franklin's Gardens this evening.

Edinburgh coach Rob Moffat had left the replacement position vacant when he named his side on Wednesday for the Heineken Cup match, but insisted that that was purely until receiving full confirmation from ERC that Crombie would be eligible to play which had still not come through from ERC.

Crombie was released by Edinburgh in the summer as the club strove to work within the SRU's budget freeze but, with promising young players Fraser Brown and Alun Walker undergoing operations - from which they are still to return - Crombie agreed to provide cover. He played for Boroughmuir and, when Newcastle invited him for a loan spell at Kingston Park to provide cover there, he agreed on the proviso that he would still be available to Edinburgh if they required him.

He played for Newcastle in the LV= Cup, but did not feature in any Amlin Challenge Cup squad, for which Newcastle would have had to register him. He remained on Edinburgh's Heineken Cup list throughout and this week, when Andy Kelly fell victim to an eye injury, Moffat called him into the squad.

However, ERC told Edinburgh yesterday that they did not consider him eligible because he had played for another club this season, even though it did not involve European competition and there is nothing in the rules and regulations that debars this.

Aware that Edinburgh are considering a legal challenge, the ERC were reluctant to expand on their reasons, an ERC spokesman stating only: "Based on the information we have we believe that Sean Crombie is ineligible."

With Moffat furious, Edinburgh called in their lawyers and, while they do not expect to effect any change in time for tonight's game, with Kelly still out next week they are seeking to have the decision overturned in time for the final Heineken Cup match at Murrayfield against Cardiff. An Edinburgh statement read: "The final front row berth on the replacements bench will be taken by prop Nicky Little, the Edinburgh Elite Development (and Melrose] player who is in line to make his debut.

"ERC, the tournament organisers, advised earlier today that they do not consider hooker Sean Crombie eligible for the fixture. Crombie was included in the Heineken Cup squad that Edinburgh submitted to ERC before the start of the competition, and spent a short period with Newcastle Falcons towards the end of 2010. Edinburgh and legal representatives from Scottish Rugby (the SRU] are examining the situation closely and are in regular communication with ERC. Edinburgh have another Heineken Cup Pool 1 fixture, against Cardiff Blues at Murrayfield, on Saturday 22 January."The decision is bizarre and calls into question ERC's ability to put player welfare above theoretical setting of precedents. Moffat was keen to avoid courting any disciplinary measures by commenting on the case, especially as it may become a legal matter.

But, as confident as he is in the abilities of prop Kyle Traynor to stand in as hooker if required, he had spoken on Wednesday of an edginess if he lost Ross Ford, his starting hooker, to injury and had to expose the prop to the examination provided by the all-international Northampton front row of Soane Tongauiha, Dylan Hartley and Brian Mujati, which was always going to be a crucial battleground in this game. Traynor is a powerful performer, however, and he insisted this week that he would relish the challenge of playing hooker if it came his way. But he starts at loosehead prop and is keen to enhance his claim for a place in Scotland's Six Nations squad by finishing in that position too.

With the Scottish teams destined to have smaller squads next season the whole ERC policy of allowing only one change to a squad between September and the end of January has to be questioned. Much changes in the first five months of a rugby season, particularly due to injuries. The farce has also overshadowed what promises to be one of the matches of the weekend, with Sky screening the game live from Franklin's Gardens tonight. The first match produced six tries with Edinburgh struggling to maintain stunning form of the first half-hour and Northampton steamrollering their way back into a game they were only clinging on to early on.

Three months on the English side will be more battle-hardened and disciplined, and so the game should be more intense, but Saints revealed a weakness in defeat to Leicester last week at the lineout as they lost Courtney Lawes to injury and, if Edinburgh pair Scott MacLeod - back from suspension last week and now vying for a Six Nations place - and Esteban Lozada can cause problems for Calum Clarke, a 6ft 4in flanker, and Christian Day, the visitors could make things uncomfortable for the Premiership outfit.

The return of Nick De Luca alongside Ben Cairns in the centre is also a boost, while Tim Visser's clash with Joe Ansbro will be intriguing, as will the ability of full-backs Chris Paterson and Ben Foden to influence the patterns of attack.Northampton are by some way the favourites to continue their unbeaten run to the quarter-finals, while Edinburgh are now playing only for pride in this tournament, but a bit of unfathomable heavy-handedness from the authorities is only going to have steeled the resolve to leave a mark south of the Border.