Bristol Bears face five point deduction after admin error

Five points have been deducted from Bristol Bears‘ total points in the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) Challenge Cup, and the club has been handed a £10k suspended fine.

The rugby club was charged with misconduct by EPCR following ‘an honest clerical mistake’.

Bristol Bears breached the 2022/23 tournament rules by selecting ‘an ineligible player’, Elliott Stooke, as a replacement in its match day squads for both fixtures in pool A.

An independent disciplinary hearing was held following the club’s EPCR Challenge Cup round one and round two fixtures.

Statement: EPCR disciplinary decision ?

— Bristol Bears ? (@BristolBears) January 18, 2023

An independent Disciplinary Committee heard that Stooke, who had previously been made redundant by Wasps, was officially registered to play for Bristol Bears as an additional player in the EPCR Challenge Cup.

Under EPCR’s rules, additional players must be contracted to the club for a minimum period of three months.

The committee heard that clubs must also sign an additional player undertaking to ensure that the three-month contract remains in full force and effect for the entire three-month period.

This is also to ensure that players do not enter into a contract or arrangement with any other club that would prevent them from playing for the club they have registered with.

The committee was told that after Stooke’s participation in the matches against USAP and Zebre Parma, he informed Bristol Bears that he wished to activate an early release clause in his contract as he was taking up an offer to join Montpellier Hérault Rugby.

But, by permitting Stooke to sign for Montpellier Hérault Rugby before the three-month period had elapsed, Bristol Bears unwittingly breached the additional player undertaking.

This meant that Stooke therefore became retrospectively ineligible for the round one and round two matches he played against USAP and Zebre Parma.

The rugby club was charged with misconduct by EPCR following ‘an honest clerical mistake’ – photo: Martin Booth

The committee heard that as all relevant members of Bristol Bears’ staff were not aware that Stooke had an early release clause in his contract, the member of staff responsible had made an honest clerical mistake when registering him as an additional player.

An apology was made for the error and a confirmation was made that a review of the club’s work practices in this area would be carried out.

Bears fans took to social media to share their views on the news, with some calling the decision “incredibly harsh” and “preposterous”.

Russ Macey wrote: “This seems incredibly harsh. Pick up a Wasps lad who was redundant on short term deal. He gets chance for long term security so club steps away and let’s him go. Deducted points.

“Doesn’t sound like the scenario the rule was created to protect the competition against…”

Jemma called the situation “a joke”, she wrote: “What a joke!!! Exceptional circumstances surely as he was just made redundant and we were trying to support him!!”

Clive Bowman commented: “So we rescue a player from redundancy, name him as a replacement twice and then do him a favour by releasing him so he can take up a longer contract and that costs us 5 points.

“That both blows and sucks. Good old @ChallengeCup_ Fine. Let’s go and win it anyway!”

The club will not have to pay the fine unless Bristol Bears commit further breaches of EPCR’s tournament rules before the end of the 2023/24 season.

Bristol bears will play Perpignan at Ashton Gate Stadium on Friday, January 20 at 8pm in its next EPCR game.

You can read more on Bristol Bear’s website here.

Main photo: JMP

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