Seán O’Brien handed 10-week suspension by IRFU after verbally abusing official at Women’s AIL match

Seán O’Brien, the former Leinster, Ireland and Lions backrower, will complete a 10-week suspension from all Tullow RFC matches on September 23rd. The ban had been imposed by the IRFU after a disciplinary hearing into allegations that O’Brien had verbally abused a match official at an Energia Women’s All-Ireland League match. Tullow RFC have also been served a three-match ground closure for an unrelated incident in the same match.

The hearing was held soon after Tullow’s 12-7 win over Cooke RFC at their Blackgates home ground on March 21^st and O’Brien’s suspension is understood to have come into effect on April 1^st. As the ban only applied to club games at the end of last season and start of this season this did not affect O’Brien’s work with Leinster as their contact skills coach.