Cian Healy’s Lions tour looks over after biting incident and injury
Irish prop could be cited for alleged biting incident, but leg injury in thumping of Western Force seems to have ended campaign anyway
An alleged biting incident and injury involving Cian Healy clouded a thumping win for the British & Irish Lions as they beat Western Force 69-17 at the start of their Australian tour yesterday.
The all-star visitors swamped a second-string Force team nine tries to two, led by a brace from stand-in captain Brian O'Driscoll and a peerless 11-from-11 place-kicking performance by Welsh fullback Leigh Halfpenny.
Ideally we'd like to be playing against the strongest sides we could
However, the training-style romp, widely expected after the hosts rested most of their best players, ended on a sour note with Healy stretchered off and also facing possible disciplinary proceedings.
Citing commissioner Freek Burger took a statement from Force scrumhalf Brett Sheehan, who had claimed in the first half that he was bitten by Healy during a melee. Video replays at the time were inconclusive.
Previous sanctions for biting have been heavy but Healy could be facing a spell on the sidelines anyway after going off with suspected ankle ligament damage and being sent to hospital for X-rays.
"I know much about it as you know," Lions head coach Warren Gatland said. "I think the citing guy has had a look at it and he can't find anything."