London Welsh left bottom with 5-point deduction and £15,000 fine

London Welsh have been deducted five league points and fined £15,000 after being found guilty to have fielded an ineligible player in the Aviva Premiership this season.
A further five-point deduction suspended until the end of season 2013-14 The player,
Kiwi scrum-half Tyson Keats appeared in 10 matches whilst not holding Effective Registration with the RFU.
The deduction leaves the Exiles at the bottom of the Premiership table with 17 points, two behind strugglers Sale.
And with away games at Gloucester, Bath and London Irish remaining and home fixtures against Northampton and Worcester, their hope of avoiding relegation now look very slim.
Believed to have built a strong case, London Welsh were heard on Tuesday but the decision had been deferred as the panel needed more time to come up with a decision.
In a statement, London Welsh said they were “extremely disappointed with the decision” and confirmed the club will be lodging an appeal against the ruling while claiming “the club was unknowingly the victim of one individual’s fraudulent conduct.”
The statement continued: “It was London Welsh which discovered the fraud and brought it to the attention of the RFU. The Panel however has punished London Welsh on the basis that it is to blame for what that individual has done.
CEO Tony Copsey said: “London Welsh are hugely disappointed and shocked by the ruling made by the RFU Hearings Committee, which we believe is extremely harsh under the circumstances.
“It is our belief the ruling is fundamentally flawed and I can confirm that the club will definitely be appealing the decision.”
Read all the reactions and the details of the case in Sunday’s edition of The Rugby Paper.