The allegation was made during the Irish derby between Leinster and Munster on the weekend

Ireland and Lions prop Tadhg Furlong has been cited for allegedly grabbing the genitals of an opponent during Leinster's United Rugby Championship victory over Munster.

The incident occurred in the closing stages of the first half of Saturday's clash at the Aviva Stadium, with Munster back row Gavin Coombes raising the allegation against an unnamed Leinster player with referee Andrew Brace.

Television match official Colin Stanley was unable to find any video evidence of the incident at the time, but experienced front-row forward Furlong has now been cited for an alleged breach of Law 9.27 following an initial investigation.

The law states that "a player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship including but not limited to grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals".

A statement from the United Rugby Championship said: "Arrangements for the disciplinary process are currently in progress and will be announced in due course".

Furlong, 33, could face a significant ban if found guilty, potentially putting his involvement in Ireland's upcoming Nations Championship fixtures in doubt.

Ireland are due to face Argentina, Fiji and South Africa in Dublin, before the competition's finals weekend in London.

The potential punishment could also have significant consequences for Leinster, with the province facing an Investec Champions Cup pool match against Sale before their festive inter-provincial derbies with Ulster and Munster.

There is a recent precedent for a lengthy ban following an offence of this nature. In October 2025, South Africa front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels was handed a nine-match suspension after grabbing Josh Murphy's genitals during the Bulls' URC victory over Connacht.

Joe Marler was banned for 10 weeks for grabbing Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones' genitals during England's 33-30 Six Nations victory over Wales at Twickenham in March 2020

Munster head coach Clayton McMillan backed his players following Saturday's 24-18 defeat, saying he would "back our players 100% that if they make an allegation like that".

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said he had not seen the incident, which took place in the 37th minute while Munster were leading, but acknowledged it was a "serious matter".