Edinburgh have lodged what is believed to be a highly critical report of Irish referee Gary Conway with Guinness PRO12 officials following the club's 14-13 loss to Connacht at BT Murrayfield last Friday.
The move was revealed by coach Alan Solomons, whose diplomatic turn of phrase could not disguise his fury at the performance of the inexperienced Conway - the Irishman had officiated at only one PRO12 game previously - who penalised the capital side heavily throughout the game, but particularly in the scrum.
Edinburgh players were also infuriated by Conway's refusal to provide explanations for his decisions. Immediately after the match, captain Ross Ford revealed that he had been rebuffed in his attempts to gain clarification.
"I tried [to talk to Conway] but he wasn't very co-operative," said Ford. "It felt as if he wasn't even listening. He didn't seem as if he wanted to listen and that affects our scrum."
Edinburgh's scrum had looked powerful when they beat Munster in Limerick on the PRO12's opening weekend, so their problems against Connacht were all the more inexplicable.
"We had a situation where we had a dominant scrum and we were not rewarded for having a dominant scrum," complained Solomons. "There were 12 scrums [including] two resets, 10 scrums which produced five penalties and two free-kicks against us. Now that was a scrum that was on top against Munster and was on top against Connacht. It is a concern if you have a dominant scrum and you are not being rewarded."
PRO12 protocols allow clubs to submit reports from their matches, but these are usually dry and uncontroversial. Solomons refused to reveal the exact content of the dossier, which was put together following a meeting between the coach and Tappe Henning, the SRU's performance refereeing head, but his bearing made it clear that he considered the matter very serious indeed.
Solomons also revealed that the yellow card that was controversially shown to WP Nel in the Connacht game would probably be overlooked if the prop has to go before a discipline panel. Nel was also yellow-carded against Munster, and another would prompt a PRO12 hearing, but 'soft' cards are generally discounted.
The coach was speaking after naming his side to face unbeaten Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday. The selection shows seven changes to the starting XV against Connacht, the most significant being the omission of Ford - the captaincy passes to Mike Coman - who is being rested. James Hilterbrand takes Ford's place at hooker.
Edinburgh's lack of firepower was exposed by Connacht, so fans of the Murrayfield side will no doubt be relieved to see Tim Visser restored on the left wing. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne has been preferred to Sean Kennedy at scrum-half, while Greig Tonks, who has missed the last two games with a groin injury, is set to make his first competitive appearance of the season off the bench.
Solomons acknowledged that not all the blame for last weekend's loss came down to the referee, admitting that Edinburgh had been "flat" in their overall approach.
"Playing the league leaders away from home is a huge challenge for us," said Solomons. "The Ospreys will be at pretty much full strength, with Alun Wyn Jones at the helm and Justin Tipuric returning from injury. It will be a real test, but a great opportunity for the players selected."
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