Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam faces no significant disciplinary action following the controversial end of the club’s Round 21 game at Welford Road against Leicester Tigers earlier this month.
Lam has been given just a warning by the RFU following an investigation into the final moments of the game which saw Leicester head coach Steve Borthwick appear to accuse Lam of lying over whether tighthead prop John Afoa was fit to return to the pitch.
The incident occurred in a chaotic final 10 minutes of the game at Welford Road when Bristol tighthead Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro was yellow-carded in the 83rd minute for repeated team infringements at the scrum with Leicester looking to hammer home their advantage at the set-piece with the visitors leading by just three points.
The debate raged over whether former All Black prop Afoa should come on for the Bears as a replacement for Chaparro, with a 5m scrum called again by the home side who had Bristol well and truly on the ropes and were looking to land a knockout blow to win the match.
According to his director of rugby, Afoa was not in a state to retake the field.
However in the end he did and the Bears held out with Afoa getting the edge over England international Ellis Genge at the scrum to fold him in which saw the setpiece spin and allowed Andy Uren to steal the ball at the back of the Tigers’ scrum, kick it off the field and win the game 23-26.
After the game Tigers captain Tom Youngs was cited for ‘conduct prejudicial to the interests of the union and the game’, contrary to RFU Rule 5.12, for disrespecting the authority of the match official by swearing at referee Ian Tempest and accusing him of not being strong enough to award a penalty try.
This week Youngs was handed a two-week suspension for his actions.
The second week of the ban is suspended until 28 February 2022 on the provision that Youngs completes the England Rugby Refereeing Award Course and referees two community age grade rugby matches before the deadline. This is to enable the player to get greater insight as to the particular demands and pressures of being a match official..
But the RFU investigation into the event concluded no further charges will be brought against anyone else, however warnings and reminders as to future conduct have been made to both Lam and Borthwick.
Lam’s warning by the Rugby Football Union was for the way he spoke to the referee, asking Tempest during the heat of the moment: "If he gets injured will you take responsibility?"
The warning will stay on his disciplinary record and could be cited in any future disciplinary case against the Bears boss.
Borthwick was also given a reminder of the need for good conduct but that will not stay on the former Bristol forward coach’s record.
The RFU now considers the matter closed.
