Tigers in protest as 'extra man' helps force them out

Tournament organisers European Rugby Cup will investigate second-half events at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea after Tigers chief executive Peter Wheeler and chairman Peter Tom lodged an official complaint.

Leicester crashed out as a result of their 17-12 defeat, with the Ospreys and Clermont Auvergne securing quarter-final places from Pool Three.

Competition rules suggest the match result must stand, yet the Ospreys still face an anxious wait to discover what punishment – if any – ERC decides to impose.

England were fined 10,000 during the 2003 World Cup when wing Dan Luger featured as a 16th player for 34 seconds of their group-stage win against Samoa in Melbourne.

Unlike in Luger's case, it is claimed on this occasion that Ospreys' Wales and Lions full-back Lee Byrne was involved in helping to thwart an opposition attack.

Byrne had gone off suffering from a dislocated and bloodied toe, being replaced by centre Sonny Parker, but was sent back on three minutes later without any of his team-mates going off.

Fly-half Dan Biggar then departed after about a minute as the Ospreys held on during a torrid finale of constant Leicester pressure.

A Leicester player pointed out the Ospreys' numerical advantage to referee Alan Lewis, who then berated an Ospreys touchline official for not informing the match fourth official that Byrne had returned.

Lewis should have awarded Leicester a penalty once the extra-man situation became apparent, but it is understood an unnamed Ospreys player told him that Leicester also had 16 players on the pitch, an accusation Tigers deny.

Wheeler said: "This was a very serious incident with a 16th player interfering with a try-scoring event at a crucial part of the game.

"We have lodged a complaint with ERC because at a significant point of the game the Ospreys had 16 men on the pitch, and that 16th man interfered with, or was involved in, a break by (Tigers scrum-half) Ben Youngs and played a significant role in nothing developing from that. I don't know which regulation they (ERC) can deal with that under, but we know and other clubs know that if you play a player who is unregistered, you get docked points and strung up and all sorts of bad things happen.

"You are only allowed 15 players on the pitch, so by definition, the 16th is unregistered."

Tom added: "A serious error has been made and we have to face up to it.

"We don't want to be seen as whingers, but we should have had a penalty. We've had 12 years of professionalism now, and we have to ensure it doesn't happen again."

In a brief statement, the Ospreys said: "We are aware that a complaint has been lodged with ERC by Leicester Tigers."

ERC have yet to comment.