On June 2nd, the Match Commissioner, Disciplinary Officer, and XV’s Competition Chair for the USA Club Rugby National Championships declared that the Chicago Griffins had forfeited their semi-final match against Old Blue after knowingly fielding an ineligible player. In the interest of transparency, documentation of processes, and correcting any misinformation, the Senior Club Council of USA Club Rugby is sharing the following information.
A summary of the sequence of events leading up to and following the forfeiture can be found here.
The written opinion of the panel established to hear the Griffins grievance to USA Rugby can be found here.
The decision to declare a forfeit in a national semi-final was not taken lightly, but we believe to be entirely justified based upon the facts and the decision by the Griffins to field a player who was currently ineligible.
All clubs should rest assured there are established processes and controls in place to ensure the integrity of our competitions.
Senior Club Council
