Leinster’s rearranged European Cup tie against Newcastle has been postponed for the second time in two days after the pitch was deemed unplayable.
Originally scheduled for yesterday evening, the match was in doubt all week because of the freezing conditions the north-east of England was experiencing.
Heavy snowfall did little to improve the pitch at Kingston Park and despite the best efforts of Newcastle’s ground staff, match referee Graham Simmonds decided the game could not be played yesterday evening.
It was hoped that the pitch would thaw overnight but after inspecting it again this afternoon, Simmonds ruled that parts, particularly in both 22s, were still partially frozen and it would be too dangerous to proceed.
Leinster and Newcastle now face a headache to rearrange the tie with the fixtures piling up. One date being mooted is the evening of Wednesday, January 16th.
While Leinster expressed their disappointment at not having been able to resume their 100 per cent European Cup campaign, Newcastle director of rugby, Rob Andrew, accused the Celtic League champions of pressurising the referee into the postponement.
Andrew, who has been embroiled in a war of words with Gloucester over an alleged racial slur all week, claimed the referee had been put under "a great deal of pressure" not to play the match by Leinster officials.
"They had no intention of playing," claimed the former England No. 10. "The team didn't even turn up."
einster coach Matt Williams responded to Andrew's outburst, saying: "The referee called it off. There was still ice on parts of the field. It was the right decision.
"We were asked our opinion and our opinion was that the pitch was still frozen, but we were prepared to abide by the referee's decision.
"If he had passed the pitch fit we were prepared to play. If anyone says anything different that is just sour grapes.
"We wanted to play. We have already qualified for the quarter-finals but need to get as many points as we can to get a home game."
Additional reporting - PA
