Official RBS 6 Nations Rugby : O'Brien innocent of gouging

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Sean O'Brien will be available for Ireland during the November internationals

O'Brien innocent of gouging

23 September 2010, 11:16 am

By Sportsbeat

Leinster flanker Sean O'Brien has been cleared of an eye-gouging charge stemming from the Irish province's clash against Benetton Treviso.

O’Brien could have been hit with a lengthy ban had he been found guilty with the minimum sentence starting from 12 weeks.

But a disciplinary hearing in Belfast found that there was no deliberate contact with the eye area of Enrico Pavenello in the 62nd minute of Leinster’s 29-13 defeat.

The fact that there was no reaction from the Treviso player helped O’Brien’s case and Leinster coach Joe Schmidt will be mightily relieved after fellow backrower Shane Jennings was suspended on a similar charge last season.

O’Brien being cleared allows him to participate in the opening weekend of the Heineken Cup and he is also available to Declan Kidney for Ireland’s autumn international matches.