The Irish management were last night considering whether to appeal the two-game World Cup suspension issued to Trevor Brennan yesterday, as their Australian counterparts have already intimated they will do in light of a similar suspension handed down to their number eight, Toutai Kefu.
A three-man RWC disciplinary committee yesterday decreed that both players should be suspended following their punch-up during last Sunday's Pool E game at Lansdowne Road.
Three other players who appeared before World Cup disciplinary chiefs at Twickenham yesterday have been freed to resume playing immediately.
Citings against Australian centre Daniel Herbert for a high tackle on Kevin Maggs and Canadian flanker John Hutchinson (punching) were dismissed, while a sending-off was deemed sufficient punishment for Fijian Marika Vunibaka.
Kefu was suspended for 14 days, and Brennan for 10, though effectively this amounts to two-game bans for both of them as Ireland would have to undertake an additional play-off match in Lens next Wednesday whereas Australia will be going straight through to a quarter-final the following Saturday in Cardiff.
On returning late yesterday evening with Brennan from London to the Irish squad's base in Finnstown House, Irish manager Donal Lenihan said: "I'm very disappointed with the decision which rules Trevor out for our next two matches and we're reserving our right to appeal."
The Irish management have 48 hours to discuss the matter and to decide whether to appeal. They had put together a video presentation in defence of Brennan which showed end-on and side-on camera angles.
"At no stage can you see Trevor Brennan landing a punch on Kefu," maintained Warren Gatland last night, whereas video evidence shows Kefu throwing at least half a dozen punches. "If you look at the video evidence it doesn't seem justified," he said.
On foot of losing Phil Kearns through injury for the remainder of the tournament, Kefu's suspension constitutes a damaging double blow for the Wallabies, even if the two-game ban was the minimum most observers felt Kefu would receive.
Nonetheless, they have reacted angrily to the decision in Limerick last night, pointing accusing fingers at Ireland with regard to other unreported incidents and suggesting strongly that they too would appeal.
Australian coach Rod Macqueen described Kefu's sentence as "an injustice", and said an appeal was almost certain to be lodged.
Macqueen slammed what he called the inconsistency of RWC disciplinary officials in making citations.
"It's a selective citation from our point of view," he said. "There were a number of incidents in the game, and to pick those two incidents out astounds us, actually.
"We will sit back and look to what we can do to see justice, in our eyes, be done. We will be putting together a case and show reasons why we will be appealing, and that will be something we'll be doing over the next 48 hours.
"Kef's a fairly cool sort of fellow, but obviously he's very disappointed at the moment."
The Wallabies were amazed when Herbert was cited for a tackle which left Irish centre Kevin Maggs groggy, but which team management felt was legal.
Macqueen said Herbert should not have had to travel to London for the hearing. "I'm not relieved. I don't think he ever had a case to answer," the coach said.
Australia were also irked over a hit by Brennan which flattened hooker Jeremy Paul in the second half, and a high tackle from fullback Conor O'Shea on Wallaby fly-half Steve Larkham.
All five players appeared before the same three-man disciplinary panel - chairman Sir Alan Holland, former Rugby Football Union president Peter Trunkfield and ex-New Zealand All Black Terry Wright.
A total of nine players have already been cited during World Cup '99.
And the clampdown on World Cup violence is certain to continue throughout the tournament's remaining games, with match commissions given free rein to punish troublemakers.
