Wales suspend Andy Powell after golf buggy arrest

The international career of the Wales back-row forward Andy Powell lies in tatters today after he was charged with driving a golf buggy while over the limit and thrown out of the national squad exactly a year after he received a warning about his future behaviour following a drunken night out in Cardiff as he and some team-mates celebrated victory over England. Powell, 28, was arrested early early yesterday morning at a service station off the M4 to the west of Cardiff, hours after Wales had beaten Scotland, having allegedly failed a breath test. He has been bailed to appear before Cardiff magistrates on 2 March, four days after Wales' next Six Nations match against France at the Millennium Stadium. The Welsh Rugby Union met Powell this morning and suspended him for behaviour "contrary to the squad's code of conduct". Last year Powell was reprimanded, with three other players, after an investigation into drunken antics following the England victory. "They have all been warned that their involvement in events will be taken into account in future if they are party to any incidents where misconduct is apparent by any squad member," the WRU said then. It is alleged that Powell and a friend, who was not charged, drove a golf buggy three miles from the hotel in the Vale of Glamorgan where the Welsh squad are based to the service station where he was arrested at 5.40 in the morning. He was charged with driving a mechanically propelled vehicle while unfit through drink. "We take matters of player conduct extremely seriously and have been happy with the professionalism and discipline of this squad in general terms," said the Wales team manager, Alan Phillips. "Andy knows he has misbehaved and is apologetic but he also knows that he must take responsibility for his own actions and accept the repercussions. "This kind of behaviour cannot be tolerated in a professional, elite sporting environment and we have acted quickly and incisively to leave no ambiguity over the dim view we take of this situation. The player has made his private apologies to the Welsh management team as well as apologising in a public statement and we have also asked him to apologise to the Vale Resort Hotel, before asking him to leave the squad." Powell's agent, Mike Burton, said the player had not given up hope of adding to his 14 Wales caps, the first of which came against South Africa in November 2008. "Andy has accepted the disciplinary decision of the WRU. He had been celebrating after Wales' victory over Scotland in Cardiff. He got back to the hotel and got to bed some time after midnight. A friend came to see him in the morning to drive him home. Andy got up and went down for breakfast where the facilities were not ready so they said, 'Why don't we go down to the motorway services where we can get something there?' "They walked out of the reception area, saw a golf buggy there and used that to get to the services where the police asked them how they got there. By the time he talked to the police it was 7am and he was asked to take a breath test." He said Powell failed the test and went on: "Andy is disappointed and embarrassed to find himself in this position. He does not excuse or condone drink-driving in any form and it was a misjudgment. He is sorry and he will face up to it." Powell's region, Cardiff Blues, will wait until the court case before deciding whether to discipline Powell. "Following the surreal finish to the weekend's encounter with Scotland, the news of what appears to be a bizarre but serious lack of judgement by one of our players while on national duty is of real concern," said the chief executive, Robert Norster. "We fully accept and respect the WRU's understandable and prompt action to address the issue. As this is an ongoing police matter, we will also not be commenting further at this time". The Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery could miss the rest of the Six Nations after being cited for a dangerous lunge on the France winger Alexis Palisson. Flannery has been charged with an "alleged kick", an offence that carries a sanction range of four to 12 weeks but could result in a maximum one-year ban. The independent three-man disciplinary committee is set to be convened on Wednesday.