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 IRB chief executive Stephen Baines"Within our regulations we can take whatever action we need to"  real 28k |
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, the chief executive of the IRB, Stephen Baines, warned both the Welsh and Scottish Rugby Unions they could face retrospective punishment by having the results of matches altered.
Both countries were recently shaken by revelations that a number of high profile players were not eligible.
Within our regulations we can take whatever action we need to.  |
IRB chief executive Stephen Baines
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Research into their family history has since shown that all three have no ancestral link to their respective countries
As a result, Sinkinson and Howarth, who share 33 caps between them and Hilton who has appeared 41 times for Scotland have all been dropped.
The WRU and SRU must now make representations to the IRB, who will decide what punishment is appropriate.
"Within our regulations we can take whatever action we need to," Baines said.
 Dave Hilton is the latest player to become embroiled in the controversy
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"I think this is an issue that will be looked into by our disciplinary committee next week."
The controversy erupted when it was discovered that Howarth and Sinkinson, who both hail from New Zealand, did not, as they had claimed, have grandparents born in Wales.
Hilton was thought to qualify on similar grounds, though it now appears his grandfather was born in Bristol, England, not Edinburgh.
"The Board has got significant power at its disposal in terms of the action it takes against unions," Baines said.
"The regulations have been in place for many years. The unions, are the ones who made the decision. All the unions know what the rules are.
So it's up to them to ensure they are properly policing their regulations."
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