England won't be helped by the absence of two of their touchline gofers, kicking coach Dave Alred and fitness adviser Paul Stridgeon. They have been suspended by their own people for their part in the swappa-ball ruse during the win over Romania last weekend. England's move was smart, getting in first before the International Rugby Board blazers stepped in.
Result? A warning as to their future conduct.
Did Alred and Stridgeon know the rules around the balls? If not, they had no place on the touchline.
Contrast that with the junk decision to clobber Alesana Tuilagi with a US$10,000 ($13,000) fine for wearing a mouthguard with a sponsor's name on it.
Tuilagi was certainly naive, maybe thought he'd get away with it, probably assumed no one would study his gob that carefully. But US$10,000? Think butterflies and wheels.
The Englishmen's actions amounted to cheating, albeit at the lower end of the scale. How a mouthguard can affect a game is something for great minds to ponder. A slap, a warning, even a $500 fine to donate to a charity would have done for the big Leicester wing. It sounds suspiciously as if the IRB scale is totally out of whack.
Whenever the IRB scratches its collective head and wonders why it gets rough publicity, it should think of this. It'll give them a reasonable clue.
