Munster head coach Clayton McMillan has publicly supported Gavin Coombes after the number eight alleged he experienced a groin grab during the 24-18 defeat to Leinster on Saturday. The incident reportedly occurred with an unnamed Leinster player at a ruck late in the first half of the United Rugby Championship derby held at the Aviva Stadium.

Coombes brought the allegation to the attention of match referee Andrew Brace, but the television match official, Colin Stanley, found no video evidence to support the claim.

In his post-match comments, McMillan expressed his full backing for Coombes, stating, "All I know is that I back our players 100% that if they make an allegation like that, they wouldn't do it lightly. He's not that sort of person, Gavin, so we'll see where that goes."

On the other hand, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen indicated he did not witness the incident but acknowledged it as a "serious matter" for the citing commissioner. Cullen remarked, "It looked like he [Coombes] changed his mind halfway through the accusation. That's the way it sounded, once the scrum was packing down. But I don't know. Obviously, once that accusation is made, it becomes a serious matter for the citing commissioner. My comment is not going to help in any way here, but from what I've seen, I can't see anything."

This situation raises questions about player conduct and the protocols surrounding allegations in professional rugby.