Gloucs face points deduction

Mariano Galarzo wasn't registered when he played against Sale Sharks. If that is correct then we face a five point deduction which will just about sum up a generally disappointing season for the Cherry and Whites ..

How a professional club can make such an error will undoubtedly be investigated both internally and externally,  but unless the penalty is  uniquely draconian it won't make difference to where end up this season.

For instance, London Welsh were deducted five points and fined £15,000 for fielding Tyson Keats when he wasn't registered a couple of seasons ago.

One can only assume that Galarzo's paperwork was in order for the following week's game against Quins and the Challenge Cup semi-final against Chiefs as no mention has been made of his registration for those games. Fingers crossed.

What makes tis all the more astonishing is that the Argentinian has been with the club since October, which you would have thought would have given plenty of time for the ink to dry on the paperwork. 

An RFU statement says: "In the Aviva Premiership Rugby match against Sale Sharks on March 29 Gloucester Rugby breached Aviva Premiership Rugby Regulation 3.3(a) by selecting a player (Mariano Galarza) who did not hold effective registration for Gloucester Rugby.

"The case will be heard by an independent panel of Jeremy Summers, Bonike Erinle and Robert Horner at 5.30pm Monday, April 27."

Regardless he's in the team to face Falcons this week. With the Challenge Final in mind there are eight chamges.

Gloucs: Charlie Sharples; Jonny May, Brendan Macken, Billy Twelvetrees (capt), Henry Purdy; Billy Burns, Dan Robson; Yann Thomas, Darren Dawidiuk, Sila Puafisi; Elliott Stooke, Mariano Galarza; Ross Moriarty, Matt Kvesic, Sione Kalamafoni

Reps: Richard Hibbard, Dan Murphy, John Afoa, Tom Savage, Gareth Evans, Greig Laidlaw, James Hook, Bill Meakes