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Two Clyde-Earnscleugh administrators have been issued a two-year ban and the club has had points stripped after fielding an illegible player in a Central Otago premier game earlier this month.
The club has appealed the decision by the Otago Country Rugby board and a hearing will take place, conducted by an Otago Rugby Football Union-appointed panel.
The date of that hearing has not been decided.
Details are sketchy but it is believed the issue centres around the playing of a prop for the Clyde-Earnscleugh team in its match against Upper Clutha on May 1.
The prop played only half a game but was not a registered player, and had not played for the club before.
Clyde-Earnscleugh won the game 19-18 in Wanaka, played on a Thursday night so players could be free to go duck-shooting on the Saturday.
It is believed a complaint was made about the playing of the prop and the Clyde-Earnscleugh club was asked by the Otago Country board to explain.
A hearing took place last week and subsequently a letter was sent to the club informing it of the punishments.
It is believed manager Jim Page, a Clyde-Earnscleugh life member, and his assistant manager have been banned for two years.
Coach Corey Crosbie has been banned from coaching for three weeks and is not allowed to play for the rest of the 2014 season.
The club has been stripped of all its points for the first five rounds of the competition. It was sitting in the top four of the 12-team competition.
Otago Country chairman Geoff McPhee declined comment yesterday when contacted by the Otago Daily Times.
He said because the club had appealed the decision made by the board, any comment - including outlining the punishments - would affect the appeal hearing.
McPhee said it was disappointing the incident had occurred but declined to comment further.
ORFU general manager Richard Kinley also declined comment due to the matter being under appeal.
The appeal would be heard by an independent panel which had not yet been finalised, Kinley said.
The panel would be made up of people with a legal background. No date had been set for the hearing.
Information would be sought from the Clyde-Earnscleugh club and other parties at the hearing.
It is believed the club disputes the process of the hearing, the punishments handed out and the precedent set.
Clyde-Earnscleugh president Bill Ussher could not be contacted. The Clyde-Earnscleugh club celebrated its 125th anniversary last month.
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