JONES ESCAPES FURTHER PUNISHMENT

The news will come as a relief to Ospreys fans who would have been concerned a further ban would have rules Jones out of his side’s critical Heineken Cup Pool 4 clash with Munster despite being sent-off against the Irish province at the weekend. Jones received his marching orders for allegedly stamping on the head of Irish lock O’Callaghan at a ruck shortly before half-time in Cork in a Celtic League curtain raiser to the main European event at Thomond Park on Saturday 8th January.

A WRU Disciplinary Sub-Committee hearing on Tuesday 21st December met to review the case, and on the evidence provided, decided that the red card will stand, but the sending-off was deemed sufficient punishment. At that stage the Ospreys, the long standing leaders of the Celtic League, were leading 6-3, but a try from a driving line-out maul by home hooker Frank Sheahan eventually gave Munster a 15-9 victory.

That made it 2-1 to the Irish side in their series of matches against the Ospreys this season. The Ospreys won the opening round on the first weekend of Celtic League action with a 34-17 home win, but Munster gained ample revenge with their 22-20 Heineken Cup win at The Gnoll.

The fourth meeting between the two sides will come only 21 days after Jones was shown the red card by Scottish official Iain Ramage and the length of any suspension will determine whether or not he can join the rest of his team mates in trying to wrestle Munster’s 22 match unbeaten European home record from them at Thomond Park.