The Chairman of Jersey Rugby Club, Bill Dempsey, has promised
that the club will bounce back after a difficult week culminated in
the loss of points and a fine from the RFU.
In tonight's disciplinary hearing at the Holiday Inn Gatwick,
Jersey RFC pleaded guilty to a breach of RFU Regulation 2.4. The
club were fined £5,000 and deducted two league points.
"We're disappointed to have lost points after a making a solid
start to our league campaign this season," he said. "However we
feel we had a constructive and fair hearing and will now look to
move forward.
"We have been investigating the circumstances of this case as we
prepared for the RFU hearing, and this investigation will
continue," he said. "We recognise that the case has highlighted
some shortcomings in the club's internal controls and will be
taking measures to remedy this situation.
"I believe firmly the club is robust enough to survive this
difficulty and go on to have a successful season, starting with a
good day at St Peter tomorrow and a positive result in our opening
British & Irish Cup tie against Ayr."
Dempsey added: "We are pleased that the charge against Ben Maidment
was dropped, as we firmly believe he had done nothing wrong since
the original offence in the match against Coventry. It's been a
worrying time for Ben, but we are very confident he will recover
from this."