Ireland rugby captain Rory Best has explained his attendance at the ongoing rape trial of two international teammates, stating that he has been called as a character witness.
Best, 35, attended Belfast Crown Court alongside Ireland and British & Irish Lions teammate Iain Henderson on Wednesday, where Ulster duo Stuart Olding and Paddy Jackson are currently standing trial.
Both Olding, 24, and Jackson, 26 are accused of raping a woman in South Belfast in June 2016, while fly-half Jackson is also charged with sexual assault. Both men deny the charges.
When asked by reporters on Saturday if the IRFU had given permission to attend the trial, he explained: "We sign out on Tuesday night, Wednesday is our day off, so technically we don't need permission to do stuff on our own time.
"The reason I was there, it's on the record I've been called as a character witness. I was advised it was important to attend, so I got both sides of the story.
"Because it's an ongoing legal matter, I will make no further comment than that."
Best was speaking after the Six Nations contest between Ireland and France in Paris, which ended with the visitors scoring a last-minute drop goal to secure a 15-13 victory.