Munster doctor Jamie Kearns and Sale boss Steve Diamond hit in the pocket

EPCR banked €5,000 in fines on New Year’s Eve after disciplinary hearings involving Munster team doctor Jamie Kearns and Sale boss Steve Diamond. 

The Munster medic had been called to answer a misconduct complaint after his verbal abuse of Saracens’ Jamie George sparked a mass brawl at Allianz Park on December 14. 

An independent disciplinary committee composed of Simon Thomas (chair, Wales), Jean-Noel Couraud (France) and Rhian Williams (Wales) found that Kearns had breached EPCR disciplinary rules by verbally abusing George about his weight during the London club’s 15-6 win.

Taking into account the immediate expression of remorse shown by Kearns, the committee imposed a three-week touchline ban – suspended for a period of 12 months – and an immediately payable fine of €2,000.

Diamond, meanwhile, was given a formal reprimand and fined an immediately payable €3,000 after his disciplinary hearing found that during his post-match duties at the AJ Bell Stadium on December 8, he insulted the match officials with comments that potentially brought the game into disrepute. 

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Commenting on referee Mathieu Raynal and his assistants after Sale were denied a late match-winning try versus Exeter, Diamond said: “I just said to the referee: ‘Good game and your touch judge has had a brilliant game.’ Hopefully, that will go through to their assessors and we’ll never see the bastards again in Manchester.”

The disciplinary committee took into account Diamond’s admission of wrongdoing, in addition to his numerous subsequent public comments and apologies for any offence caused. 

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