Henson awaits Dunlop decision
Wales and Ospreys centre Gavin Henson faces a nervous wait to discover whether he will be cited for an off-the-ball clash with Leicester prop Alejandro Moreno in yesterday’s fractious Heineken Cup game at the Liberty Stadium.
Moreno launched a swinging arm at Henson, who reacted with an elbow-led challenge to leave the Italian international nursing a nasty facial wound. As Moreno fell to the ground, Henson appeared to aim a kick at him which missed.
If citing commissioner Bill Dunlop takes action, Henson could find himself suspended when Wales open their RBS 6 Nations defence against England at Twickenham.
But Ospreys coach Lyn Jones said: “Last week Gavin had his head stamped on and there was no citing so I don’t foresee repercussions.”
Leicester scrum-half Harry Ellis is already struggling to make the Twickenham game after he suffered knee ligament damage in a clash with Ospreys lock Ian Evans – another incident Dunlop must review.
A more accurate assessment will be made once the swelling subsides, but Ellis appears a doubt for the game against Wales on February 4.
“The citing commissioner has got to make his decisions, and I will live with that. Harry looks as though he has copped a significant injury, and the injury is the only thing we can control,” said Leicester boss Pat Howard.
“I think it is unlikely he will be available for a while. We would expect to know more in the next 24-48 hours, but hopefully the scans will not show too much damage.”
Amid the controversy – which included sin-binnings for Ollie Smith and Louis Deacon plus reports that Leicester forwards coach Richard Cockerill became embroiled in a slanging match with the Ospreys management – the Tigers stole a dramatic 17-15 victory.
Dan Hipkiss scored four minutes into added time and Andy Goode converted with the game’s final kick. The result keeps Leicester’s quarter-final hopes alive but the shellshocked Ospreys are out.
Jones said: “You can only imagine our sense of devastation – it is difficult to stomach at present. We looked the better side for about 83-and-a-half minutes of the game.”
Wasps kept their own faint hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive with a thumping 48-14 victory over the Scarlets. England winger Tom Voyce scored a hat-trick.
Both sides need maximum points from their remaining group games and the results to fall right elsewhere to stand a chance of reaching the last eight.
The Scarlets are waiting on news of flanker Simon Easterby, who was taken to hospital with a nasty eye injury.
Elsewhere, Andy Farrell was due to undergo keyhole surgery on his lower back this morning after suffering a prolapsed disc in a car accident last Tuesday. The 30-year-old former Great Britain rugby league captain faces between eight and 12 weeks on the sidelines, delaying his debut for Saracens.
