(Update: See the Outcome of the Citing at the bottom of the page!)
When I first saw the headlines about this incident, I thought… “Hell, is’nt that what one is supposed to do, to hit the rucks hard and with the shoulders to get the driving force forward?” The next instinct was that Rugby is gradually going softer and softer and I suppose that would be the sentiment amongst most of us older folk who played the game when a few crucial punches in a match was not only needed, but required and when someone did not lie on the wrong side of a ruck, because he was certainly going to get some stud marks all over him.
Well, that aside, of course I am talking about the citing of Chiliboy Ralepelle after the match between the Vodacom Bulls and Western Force on Saturday – here’s the official announcement as reflected on the Bulls website:
Vodacom Bulls hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle will appear before a SANZAR judiciary on Monday after he was cited for allegedly contravening Law 10.4 (h) and 10. 4 (k) when he made contact with a Western Force player in a ruck .
The alleged incident happened in the 11th minute of the Vodacom Super Rugby match between the Bulls and Force played at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The citing officer deemed the incident, which was not picked up by the match officials, as meeting the red card threshold for foul play.
Ralepelle will be represented by legal representative Gerrie Swart at the full hearing that will take place at Montecasino, Fourways at 17h30.
Law 10. 4(h)
A player must not charge into a ruck or maul. Charging includes any contact made without use of the arms, or without grasping a player.
Law 10.4 (k) Players must not charge into a ruck or maul without binding onto a player in the ruck or maul.
OK, so the Laws have changed – to supposedly make the game of Rugby Union safer, but then gentlemen and ladies, what about some consistency regarding after match citings!
How in this world, in the same match, does the Force player who shouldered Flip van der Merwe (who was injured in the process) not get cited? That was not only blatent, it had an injuring effect as well as having been an offence in the “Red Zone” with the Bulls only 5m out from the Force line!
It had “Dangerous” and “Professional Foul” written all over it.
Come on officials – would have called you gentlemen, but erased that after I typed it – some evenhandedness please, whilst you destroy rugby and make it a powder-puff game for sissies, by making the game softer… and softer… and softer.
I must say, the referee (Mr Jason Jaftha) had very poor control over the game at times, and looked lost in Super Rugby as a referee.
Diciplinery Hearing Result:
Vodacom Bulls hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle was found not guilty by a SANZAR judiciary on Monday after he was cited for allegedly contravening Law 10.4 (h) and 10. 4 (k).
The citing followed an alleged incident in the 11th minute of the Vodacom Super Rugby match between the Bulls and Force played at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The citing officer deemed the incident, which was not picked up by the match officials, as meeting the red card threshold for foul play.
Judicial Officer Jannie Lubbe found Ralepelle not guilty after consulting with ex-professional player Shaun Payne, who acts in an advisory role in terms of Sanzar rules.
Ralepelle is free to play in the remainder of the competition.
He was represented by legal representative Gerrie Swart at the full hearing that took place at Montecasino, Fourways.
Law 10. 4(h): A player must not charge into a ruck or maul. Charging includes any contact made without use of the arms, or without grasping a player.
Law 10.4 (k): Players must not charge into a ruck or maul without binding onto a player in the ruck or maul.
March 4th, 2013 at 11:58 SAST
I basically said exactly how I feel about this one in the Article itself.
Hope Chiliboy is eithr found innocent of the offence or cops a very short ban.
March 4th, 2013 at 12:02 SAST
Folks, I’ve also set up the usual Monday Varsity Cup live game articles forthe matches late afternoon and this evening.
4 Matches scheduled for today, 2 of which are broadcasted and to be updated live here on Rugby-Talk.
UCT vs Maties – 16:45 SA Time (broadcast live on TV on SS1 & SHD)
Shimlas vs Pukke – 19:00 SA Time (broadcast live on TV on SS1 & CSN)
Tuks vs Wits
NMMU vs UJ
March 4th, 2013 at 12:21 SAST
@ grootblousmile:
I agree 100% with you GBS. How can we see ithe shoulder charge but the citing officer can’t?
March 4th, 2013 at 12:29 SAST
Incident must have happened in the 1st half, because straight after halftime both Hougie and Chiliboy were subbed.
Bulls injuries to Hougaard (ankle), Chiliboy (ankle), Bjorn Basson (ankle), Jqcques Potgieter (head knock)… all from Saturday’s game, whereas the indications are that both Dewald Potgieter and Deon Stegmann will be fit again this week.
Early indications Saturday night was that Hougie and Chiliboy should be ready this week, but Bjorn looked quite sore and Jacques Potgieter took a nasty knock to the head.
Not too perturbed about Jacques Potgieter… there are better replacements compared to what he offeres at present… the concern is over Bjorn on the left wing and of course on how long and if Chiliboy will be banned.
March 4th, 2013 at 13:20 SAST
Freegin house animals deleted my full recording of the Bulls match of Saturday.
I am now watching the 1-hour highlites package… little incident with Chiliboy on the 28 minute mark… but hell man, that can’t be a citable offence (Chiliboy was penalized for coming in with the shoulder and Sias kicked a looong penalty from just inside his own half)
March 4th, 2013 at 13:29 SAST
Did Butch not cop a few weeks ban last year for something similar?
If Chilli gets banned the Bulls are up shit creek.
March 4th, 2013 at 13:30 SAST
Now watching the 2nd Half… and Chiliboy already off subbed…
Must have been in the parts edited out of the full game to make up the Highlites package… otherwise the citing is a pot snot!
March 4th, 2013 at 13:31 SAST
6 @ Loosehead:
Wepener plays well.. he’s on good form… plus Bulls have Callie Visagie on loan from the Lions.
So it’s not the end of the world.
March 4th, 2013 at 13:38 SAST
Willie is a good reserve hooker, not much else.
I had forgot about Visagie, was he or the guy who has gone to the Stomps the Lions starting hooker?
March 4th, 2013 at 13:43 SAST
9 @ Loosehead:
Bezuidenhout, Maku and Visagie played Super Rugby for the Lions.
Visagie’s got 16 Super Rugby caps.
March 4th, 2013 at 13:52 SAST
I expected a citing on Jannie Dup to be honest. He was having a go all match long.
March 4th, 2013 at 13:58 SAST
March 4th, 2013 at 13:59 SAST
March 4th, 2013 at 14:00 SAST
March 4th, 2013 at 14:01 SAST
12 – 14 @ Ashley:
Toemaar, toemaar ou Asbakkie, dinge sal weer beter word… hehehe
March 4th, 2013 at 14:04 SAST
rob houwing: little mercy for fallen stormers (sport24)
Durban – There is a light at the end of the tunnel for the Stormers … oh, look, it’s the freight train from Waikato.
March 4th, 2013 at 14:06 SAST
gbs @ 15
dankie my ou maatjie
nou virrie chiefs
March 4th, 2013 at 14:18 SAST
Ashley wrote:
I shall be there sitting behind the Stormers bench offering some sympathy lol.
March 4th, 2013 at 14:24 SAST
Eish we nearly had a dream team…..
With so much pink abounding on the rugby fields, it wasn’t surprising that it would clash at some stage or other.
This will happen this week when the Vodacom Bulls fly in to Auckland to face off with the Blues in their Vodacom Super Rugby game.
But the clash won’t be with the opposing team, even though both have blue kits, but rather with the referees.
Referees this year have worn pink as their outfits thanks to a new sponsor in New Zealand and with the Bulls again deciding to don their pink “away” kit during this year’s tournament, there was a distinct possibility the 16th man would literally become the 16th man in pink.
But with Sanzar alerted to the clash, referees boss Lyndon Bray confirmed to supersport.com that the referee would change his kit to a white shirt and black shorts for the clash.
“The referee would have to change in such an instance,” Bray confirmed to supersport.com.
The move did catch Sanzar by surprise, with officials needing to find out if there was indeed “an alternative kit” for the referee.
The ref in question, Garat Williamson from New Zealand, will have the whistle in white this weekend then.
March 4th, 2013 at 14:27 SAST
fayaaz @ 18
look the chances were always there that we might lose 3 from the first 3 considering we played both the bulls and sharks away, and then face the current champs at home. the disappointing part is the way we went about our business thus far … ok, to be fair, i didnt watch saturday’s game (so i cant comment on it), but i always expected that we would lose that one!! funny thing is, IF we manage (and i dont see how we’re going to do it) to sneak a win this weekend, it can almost be deemed a (major) upset!!
March 4th, 2013 at 14:34 SAST
That train is on course for a derailment, they will hit a wall soon. The Stormers defensive wall.
OK thats my joke of the day
But i have this feeling this is going to be very close. Maybe another 6 pointer
March 4th, 2013 at 14:37 SAST
Ashley,
I fully understand – the losses were expected but its the way they lost that is worrying. I might support NZ rugby but I like to know whats going on in my own backyard as well so i can definitely relate.
As for Saturdays match..dont worry you never missed anything, i literally fell asleep in the first half.
March 4th, 2013 at 14:39 SAST
19 @ superBul:
If this is all correct it smacks of amateurism on Sanzar’s part superBul, after all its not the first time and season the Bulls will be wearing the fuschia and purple (not pienk)outfit so one would have expected them to have to find out of there is an alternative ref kit
March 4th, 2013 at 14:43 SAST
@ Bullscot:
The in thing nowadays are these colorful pink jerseys. Its only the NZ refs wearing the pink, has something to do with a cause, think Cancer. But surely they should have been prepared for the Pink Bulls, we had that color first
March 4th, 2013 at 14:45 SAST
@ Bullscot:
http://www.rugby-talk.com/2013/02/nz-referees-step-out-in-pink/
March 4th, 2013 at 14:47 SAST
super @ 21
if the chiefs were a one-trick pony one mightve hoped that the stormers’ defence could win them this one. unfortunately, they (the chiefs) are well covered all round and might even cause us a few problems upfront! add to that toetie’s_excellent_plan_of_poor_kicking and you wont see me near newlands on the weekend … not even to see the chiefs!!
March 4th, 2013 at 14:47 SAST
The uniform will carry the catch-line ‘Another Good Call’.
NZRU Chief Executive Steve Tew welcomed the new partnership as a great acknowledgment of the role referees play in rugby.
“We are delighted to have Pink Batts join our rugby team of sponsors and they do so in a significant way through sponsorship of referees across three levels of competition.
With the Heartland Championship not having had a title sponsor for some years, Tew said the new agreement, “will certainly help the profile of what is an important tier in our domestic competitions.”
Pink Batts General Manager Tony Te Au said they were proud to get in behind referees and show support for the guys on the field that are often the unsung heroes of any match.
“Referees are crucial to each and every game of rugby; they are the backbone of the game,”
March 4th, 2013 at 14:49 SAST
24 @ superBul:
Ahh ok superBul that explains it then if its only NZ refs in pink, but surely Sanzar should have been aware of this anyway and planned ahead with at least one if not more alternatives for the NZ refs. Or perhaps if the refs are in pink for a good cause then why not let them still wear them and let the Bulls play in Blue for any of the games reffed by NZ refs and make the Blues play in whatever their alternate colour is.
March 4th, 2013 at 14:50 SAST
@ Ashley:
you must trust my knowledge man, i might even pick your team this weekend. You heard it here first, i have a gut feel or is it a upset stomach?
No Man believe
Dream
Just do it
but dont shoot
March 4th, 2013 at 14:51 SAST
Bullscot wrote:
Agree
March 4th, 2013 at 14:53 SAST
@ superBul:
on the other hand i wish they were more hardegat and forced the Bulls out of their stupid PIENK
March 4th, 2013 at 14:54 SAST
OK back to work , will catch up during the second Varsity game
March 4th, 2013 at 14:58 SAST
super @ 29
btw, see you’re wearing the yellow cap …. and liking it!! (obviously)
March 4th, 2013 at 15:03 SAST
#33
oops, its Blouste wearing the cap, not Super!!
March 4th, 2013 at 20:09 SAST
@ Ashley:
33
did not see it , shows i also have great days in life hahahaha
March 4th, 2013 at 20:10 SAST
@ Ashley:
34
March 4th, 2013 at 20:18 SAST
Chiliboy cleared on the citing charge!!
March 4th, 2013 at 22:42 SAST
This is good news
March 5th, 2013 at 06:00 SAST
what happened to the “old style, traditional” Bulls jersey that was revealed with great pomp and fanfare earlier this season?
I’m sure the article here on RT said that it was going to be used in all competitions to mark some or other anniversery but the PTA mob are still wearing the razzle dazzle ligntning bolt smoke out of the arse kit from last season.
Another marketing BS ploy by those involved perhaps to placate the Bulls old boys?