{"id":669601,"date":"2026-10-30T06:22:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T06:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/669601\/"},"modified":"2026-10-30T06:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T06:22:14","slug":"tadhg-furlong-cleared-to-play-for-ireland-as-crotch-grab-claim-not-upheld","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/669601\/","title":{"rendered":"Tadhg Furlong Cleared To Play For Ireland As Crotch Grab Claim Not Upheld"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leinster and Ireland tighthead Tadhg Furlong has been cleared of any wrongdoing after being cited earlier this week for allegedly grabbing the crotch of Munster player Gavin Coombes.<\/p>\n

The ruling means Furlong will be free to participate in all of Ireland’s activity in the November international window.<\/p>\n

The hearing was heard by a panel consisting of\u00a0Simon Thomas (Wales), Attie Heyns (South Africa) and Pamela Woodman (Scotland). The panel “unanimously concluded that the citing complaint against the Player should be dismissed, on the basis that he did not commit an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.27.”<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a huge boost for Ireland in particular given Furlong\u2019s importance to the Irish scrum and the impending visit of the Springboks to the Aviva next month.<\/p>\n

Free to play<\/p>\n

The incident in question took place in the 37th minute of the Leinster-Munster game at the Aviva stadium on Saturday, after Furlong and Munster backrow Coombes<\/a> came together in a ruck.<\/p>\n

Munster captain Tadhg Beirne raised the issue of a possible crotch grab to referee Andrew Brace. The game footage was reviewed by the TMO Colin Stanley but he could find no video evidence to support the allegation, and Brace informed Beirne it would be an issue for the citing commissioner to take up.<\/p>\n

\n Recommended\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

On Monday, Furlong was cited by citing officer Peter Ferguson under Law 9.27 which states:<\/a><\/p>\n

A player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship including but not limited to grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals.<\/p>\n

Footage showed the Wexford man with his arm between the legs of Coombes in the ruck. But as Furlong and Coombes both had their back to the main TV camera, it was unclear what exactly had taken place.<\/p>\n

The panel also noted that Coombes provided “an honest account of his recollection of events surrounding the incident.”<\/p>\n

The citing sparked a huge amount of online discourse in South Africa.<\/p>\n

In October 2025, Bulls player Jan-Hendrik Wessels received a nine-week ban in October 25 for grabbing the genitals of Connacht player Josh Murphy. That ban was reduced to eight weeks after appeal but the Springbok player missed the entire November window.<\/p>\n

That decision was notable because there was no clear video evidence in the public domain that showed what Wessels did.<\/p>\n

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