The judiciary committee that last week cleared New Zealand lock Ali Williams of deliberately stamping on the head of England's Josh Lewsey today responded to calls from the Rugby Football Union to fully explain their decision.
England coach Clive Woodward had been furious after learning of Williams' acquittal last Sunday and called for his bosses at Twickenham to take up the case.
Woodward described the decision as ``poor'' and claimed it was a case of double standards, but was particularly frustrated at the lack of explanation provided by the three-man panel.
Lewsey required stitches to a gash in the back of his head, but the only detail provided in the initial statement was that contact between Williams' boot and the fullback's head had been ``inadvertent'' to his attempts to ruck the ball.
Following an official RFU complaint, the panel today revealed they had accepted Williams' not guilty plea after concluding his foot had probably been deflected onto Lewsey's head via the forearm of an England player in the ruck.
The committee also heard evidence that Williams had moved forward of Lewsey when the incident occurred, indicating he had upheld his ``duty to take care for the safety of a player on the ground when there is a likelihood of contact with a players boot whilst rucking''.
The report detailed how the the committee was required to determine whether ``it was satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the actions of the player at the breakdown constituted dangerous play and misconduct by way of stamping or trampling''.
Neither the referee nor touch judge saw the incident while video evidence from behind and to the side of the ruck could not conclusively uphold the defence put forward by Williams' legal counsel David Jones.
However, the report stated that from behind the ruck the unnamed England player's arm ``appeared to be over the football which was forward of the head of the English number 15''.
This was not confirmed by the side-on view because of the number of players at the breakdown, but it did show ``just prior to the incident Williams had moved forward from his original position above the England number 15 on the ground.''
The panel therefore concluded: ``In consideration of this evidence and the oral testimony of the player, the committee accepted that Williams was rucking at the area of the football, including the arm of the English player obstructing this area.
``There was no intention to ruck or stamp the head of a player, and the contact with the head of the England number 15 was inadvertent and incidental to Williams endeavour to ruck the football in a situation where access to it was impeded by the position of the English players in the ruck.''
There was no immediate comment from the England camp, currently in Melbourne preparing for Saturday's Test against Australia.
Lewsey will play at the Telstra Dome, despite being forced off for stitches five minutes from the end of England's 15-13 victory in Wellington.
The Wasps flyer, who left the stadium with nasty stud marks on his face and stitches visible in the back of his head, had feared for his eyes at one point as the blows rained in.
Woodward thought the 22-year-old Aucklander had a ``strong case to answer'' and, learning of the decision upon his arrival in Melbourne earlier in the week was angered at what he felt was an injustice.
``If it had been an English player, we'd still be in Wellington now and probably all be locked up,'' Woodward said on Monday.
``He has got off scot-free which is just wrong in my opinion. There is a feeling amongst the players that it is one rule for everyone else and one rule for the English. That is how we feel.
``I would like to hear why, what made it not a punishable offence.''