I thought rim bands (rubber or cloth) were just to protect the spoke nuts and any protruding spoke from damaging the inner tube. I cannot see how they would function (reliably at least) as an airtight seal for tubeless tyres
I also now recall speaking to MWS after my self inflicted debacle. They did say if the damage was very minor I could probably get away with a localised repair to sealant, otherwise full replacement.
They sell Dowsil 1080 silicone RTV adhesive sealant for the job BTW which requires 48 hours to fully vulcanise.
