The Ospreys have been fined £100,000 and will start next season on minus-four points in the Magners League after being found guilty of a misconduct charge today for failing to fulfil a fixture at Ulster in March.

The Ospreys called off the game, which had been rearranged after the original fixture in January fell victim to the cold snap, after saying they did not have enough available front-row forwards because of injuries and international call-ups.

When it later emerged that they had given their squad that week off, the Ospreys said they had offered Ulster two alternative dates that had both been rejected.

Celtic Rugby launched an inquiry and charged the Ospreys, who earlier this year faced two Heineken Cup investigations, with misconduct. A three-man panel sitting in Glasgow found the Welsh region guilty of breaching tournament regulations.

The four-point deduction was deferred until next season because the Ospreys are playing Glasgow in the play-off semi-final at the Liberty Stadium tomorrow night. The £100,000 fine is nearly four times the ¤25,000 sanction imposed on the region by European Rugby Cup Ltd in January for having 16 men on the field for 50 seconds against Leicester that month in the Heineken Cup.

The Ospreys and Celtic Rugby have the right to appeal. The region issued a statement that said: "We will wait for the full written judgment before deciding whether to appeal against the verdict. We will not be commenting further on the issue."