Ballina Rugby Club have been hit with a €2,000 fine and deducted two match points in the All-Ireland League (AIL) after one of their players was pictured on social media receiving the keys to a sponsored car.
The Irish Examiner reports that Ballina RFC have confirmed that player Kieran Lindsay received the car on behalf of the club to be used for coaching in schools in the north Mayo and south Sligo region.
The sanction has been imposed by rugby's authorities because the car breaches the IRFU regulations around amateur players. Regulation 6 states that no provincial or All-Ireland League can receive payments or benefits. It's understood that the IRFU has also indicated that sanctions for breaches of Regulation 6 are not uncommon.
Lindsay, who's from New Zealand, has been playing for Ballina for the past three three years and helps coach in 10 secondary schools and several national schools in the region.
Ballina are currently bottom of Division 2B of the AIL and are still awaiting their first win. They play Sligo this Saturday in Heffernan Park at half-past-two.
