MUNSTER WERE INCORRECTLY reduced to 14 men for nearly four minutes during their URC defeat to Leinster on Saturday.
Leinster scored their third try of the game through fullback Hugo Keenan during that period to extend their lead to 21-0.
The 42 understands that the URC is currently waiting for the final report from the match officials involved in the game to understand why this error occurred.
It’s believed that Munster, who are currently travelling to South Africa for a two-game tour, have not lodged an official complaint with the URC at this stage.
The error occurred amid a chaotic cluster of injuries for Munster on Saturday evening.
Munster’s hooker Niall Scannell had to leave the pitch for a Head Injury Assessment [HIA] in the seventh minute, with hooker Diarmuid Barron coming on as a temporary replacement.
Barron then had to depart for a HIA in the 11th minute at the same time as loosehead prop Jeremy Loughman came off to have a blood injury treated.
Barron leaving for a HIA and Loughman exiting for treatment for his blood injury should have meant Munster remaining at 15 players, with two temporary replacements coming on in place of Barron and Loughman.
However, only one temporary replacement – prop John Ryan – came on for Munster at that break in play following Leinster’s second try through Caelan Doris.
The 42 understands that Munster hoped to bring flanker Ruadhán Quinn on as a temporary replacement, along with John Ryan, but that did not happen.
That meant Munster were down to 14 players as Leinster launched a counter-attack and won a penalty in the Munster 22. Leinster kicked into touch in the left corner, won another penalty, kicked back into the corner and then scored in the ensuing passage as Keenan crossed in the 15th minute.
Straight after that Keenan try, Munster brought on a second temporary replacement – prop Kieran Ryan – to restore them to a full complement of 15 players.
Scannell returned from his HIA in the 19th minute, with Kieran Ryan leaving the field.
Loughman returned from his blood injury in the 24th minute, with John Ryan exiting the pitch, restoring Munster to their original starting XV.
There has previously been confusion around the regulations regarding a team’s number of players when it comes to uncontested scrums, but those circumstances did not apply in this case.
Firstly, there were no scrums during this five-minute period in the clash between Munster and Leinster. Furthermore, a team is not reduced to 14 players if scrums have to go uncontested when two players have suffered head injuries.
