Judgement day for Healey

13 April 2012

Austin Healey will find out his punishment tomorrow for his controversial newspaper column during the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia.

Healey, the most unpredictable player of the England back line, attends a Lions disciplinary hearing in Dublin eight weeks after the tour ended with a 2-1 Test series defeat to the world champions. He goes up before the panel of tour manager Donal Lenihan, coach Graham Henry and Lions captain Martin Johnson, who is also Healey's club captain at Leicester.

Healey has been hauled up to talk about a column under his name in The Guardian headlined "And for our finale . . . stuffing the arrogant Aussies".

In the column, Healey was credited with calling Australian lock Justin Harrison a "plod" and a "plank", but Harrison proved to be one of Australia's key players in the decisive Test.

Leicester chief executive Peter Wheeler, a former Lion, is angry that the issue has dragged on into the new season.

He said: "The matter should have been dealt with on the tour and it doesn't serve any purpose bringing it all out now."

The case against Healey would be weakened if it could be accepted by the hearing that the words attributed to him actually came from his ghost writer Eddie Butler, a former Wales captain who is now a journalist and commentator.

The question then would be whether Healey was aware of the remarks and whether he had checked it with the management.

During the tour the Lions fined Matt Dawson, the England scrum-half, for comments he made about the way the tour was managed. Healey has not said anything about the column since the tour ended, but is expected to give a full summary in his book about the tour which is being published next month.

But he has already been assured that whatever happens in Dublin - a fine or a reprimand would be the options if he is found to be at fault - his availability for England is not in question.

England manager Clive Woodward will name his squad on 17 September for the Six Nations match against Ireland in Dublin on 20 October.

Meanwhile, London Wasps are chasing South African centre Stuart Abbott. They have injury problems with flankers Paul Volley (broken toe) and Richard Birkett (knee ligaments) set to be out for six weeks. To help to ease their plight, Wasps today signed London Irish flanker Colin Allan, who may make his debut at Leicester on Saturday.

MORE ABOUT

Dublin

Leicester

Martin Johnson

The Guardian

Judgement day for Healey

Read More