30 Mar 2013

London Welsh consider appealing points deduction

2:09 pm on 30 March 2013

London Welsh chief executive Tony Copsey says the Premiership club has not ruled out continuing its fight for justice after it failed to overturn a five-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player.

Former Welsh team manager Mike Scott falsified documents in an effort to cover up the fact he had not secured the correct visa for New Zealand-born halfback Tyson Keats.

When Premiership Rugby found out, they came down hard on the top flight club, hitting them with a $40,000 fine as well as the points deduction.

The points penalty left London Welsh bottom of the Premiership and they are now five points adrift of Sale Sharks with just four league matches remaining.

But the Exiles have argued they were unaware of Scott's actions and feel the punishment against them is unduly harsh.

According to Premiership Rugby regulations, the decision is final, but Welsh are exploring all their options and Copsey maintains the decision of the three-man independent appeal panel was unfair.

Asked whether an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was a possibility, Copsey says he won't say never.

For his part, Scott was banned for life from rugby after he admitted supplying false information, including a forged passport, to England's governing Rugby Football Union.