DIRECTOR of rugby Dean Ryan has spoken of his disappointment at the accusation Richard de Carpentier eye-gouged an opponent, saying it can damage a player’s reputation.
The 23-year-old had been cited for allegedly making contact with the eyes or eye area of Calum Clark during Worcester Warriors’ Aviva Premiership clash with Northampton Saints at Sixways earlier this month.
But following a Rugby Football Union (RFU) disciplinary hearing last Wednesday, de Carpentier was found not guilty and was given permission to play against Biarritz Olympique the following day.
Speaking after the Amlin Challenge Cup tie, Ryan said he was pleased with the decision to clear the back row of the charge. But the Warriors boss believes the accusation can still have long term effects to a player’s future.
“I was a bit disappointed with the citing,” Ryan said. “We took all the actions to ensure we could represent Richard in the right way because we didn’t think he deserved to be in front of a panel.
“There are lots of things which happen in a game where people are bumping into each other. But when a charge is that serious, I think we need to be careful of what we throw around as there is reputation damage just by the nature of being charged.
“Once you have been cleared you have still got an element of that which sticks to you.
“None of us want to be charged with those claims and none of us want our parents to wake up in the morning and see our name blasted across the news accused of it, so we need to be very careful about how things are brought to that.”
Meanwhile, de Carpentier is set to be among the squad to travel to France to take on Biarritz Olympique tomorrow (Thursday) night where Warriors will be looking to bounce back from their last-gasp 19-15 defeat to the Top 14 outfit.