Diciplinery Action
The citing of Samoa fullback James So’oialo for grabbing the testicles of Springbok hooker Adriaan Strauss during Saturday’s match at Loftus Versfeld was dismissed on Sunday.
The player was cited by Peter Larter (RFU) according to Law 10.4(m), committing an act contrary to good sportsmanship, for an incident which occurred in the 12th minute of the second half.
Saracens and Barbarians hooker Schalk Brits has been slapped with a three week ban for punching his Saracens team mate Owen Farrell in the British & Irish Lions’ tour opener in Hong Kong.
Bulls wing Bjorn Basson has been cited for a dangerous tackle during Saturday’s 18-16 win over the Sharks at Kings Park.
Former All Blacks coach Graham Henry escaped serious punishment for criticising Super Rugby officials after pleading guilty to a misconduct charge.
Wallaby and Rebels bad boy Kurtley Beale has stopped playing rugby to deal with his off-field demons.
DHL Stormers loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff has been suspended and will miss the Vodacom Super Rugby clash with the Crusaders at Newlands on Saturday.
Kurtley Beale and Cooper Vuna have both have been sent home following an altercation after the Rebels’ record 64-7 defeat to the Sharks.
The Rebels said both players had been stood down and would return home immediately following an internal investigation on Sunday.
Stormers prop Steven Kitshoff has been cited for alleged foul play during their Super Rugby encounter against the Brumbies at Newlands on Saturday night.
Crusaders front row forward Ben Funnell has been suspended for one week for an act of foul play.
Toulon second-row Bakkies Botha will face no further sanction after being cited for a shoulder charge last month.
(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.
Hurricanes openside flanker Ardie Savea has been suspended for four weeks following a judicial hearing but he will be out of Super Rugby until the end of March.
All Black bad boy Zac Guildford has voluntarily stood down from the Crusaders following his involvement in a late-night incident at a residential home in Christchurch last weekend.
South Africa’s star flank, Bath-based openside Francois Louw, has been cleared on a punching charge by a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing.
Springbok and Bath flank Francois Louw will attend an RFU disciplinary hearing following his red card for punching against Leicester on Saturday.
Louw was not the only Bath player in hot water and will be joined by teammates Matt Banahan and Lee Mears at the hearing.
This week there was two important citings for Southern Hemisphere teams who still have to play this coming weekend, that of Andrew Hore the New Zealand hooker and the other one that of Sitaleki Timani the Australian lock.
Both were found guilty and Andrew Hore received an effective 5-week suspension whereas Sitaleki Timani received a 1-week suspension.
Australian lock Rob Simmons had his ban for a dangerous tip-tackle during the Wallabies defeat by France this month cut from eight weeks to five weeks, following an International Rugby Board appeal hearing in Bristol, south-west England.
Australian second row forward Sitaleki Timani has been cited to appear before the International Rugby Board disciplinary commission.
New Zealand hooker Andrew Hore has been cited by the IRB’s independent Citing Commissioner for allegedly striking an opponent during the match between Wales and New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
The ARU will appeal Wallabies lock Rob Simmons’s eight-week suspension for a lifting tackle on French forward Yannick Nyanga in Paris two weeks ago.
Argentina tighthead Juan Figallo has been suspended for three weeks for head-butting France captain Pascal Pape.
The International Rugby Board (IRB) has confirmed that it will appeal what it strongly believes to be an “unduly lenient sanction” handed down to New Zealand forward Adam Thomson for stamping or trampling on the head of an opponent.
Springbok lock, Eben Etzebeth has been found Not Guilty of the alleged eye gouging he was cited for after the clash between the Springboks and Scotland. The Judicial Officer ruled that the contact was accidental and therefore did not constitute foul play.
Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth has been cited for allegedly making contact with a the eye of a Scotland player in the Test match played at Murrayfield on Saturday.
The All Blacks and coach Steve Hansen are anxiously awaiting a decision on whether flanker Adam Thomson will be ruled out of the rest of their European tour for disciplinary reasons.
Controversial Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper has been fined a total of $60,000 for his critical comments about the Australian squad.
Gloucester looseforward Andy Hazell was suspended for 14 weeks as sanction following a Disciplinary Hearing in Dublin after being Red Carded and Cited in the Amlin Challenge Cup Pool 1, Round 1 match against Mont-de-Marsan at Stade Guy Boniface on Thursday 11 October.
In one of the more brutal and serious incidents in recent years, Andy Hazell was given a Red Card for an incident in the 55th minute of the match for striking (or rather for bating up) Mont-de-Marsan replacement, Sebastien Ormaechea.
Western Province loose forwards Jebb Sinclair and Tyrone Holmes have almost completely escaped further punishment for the punches they threw at Kings Park on Saturday.
Here’s a review of the Judicial hearings and citings following a weekend of ill-diciplined rugby in South Africa.
As we all know by now, in a water logged match in the ABSA Currie Cup between The Sharks and DHL Western Province, four players were carded in Durban, Sharks losse forward Jean Deysel received a Yellow Card, Jebb Sinclair and Tyrone Holmes from Province both received Red Cards for punching, whilst Wilhelm van der Sluys from Province received a Yellow Card.
From about 5 minutes before the end of the match, Western Province was forced to play with only 12 players on the pitch, effectively resulting in an eventual Penalty Try to the Sharks just before the end of the game.
SANZAR have given Chiefs prop Ben Tameifuna a one week suspension for a dangerous tackle after he pleaded guilty to the offence.
Toulon’s England international flanker Steffon Armitage has tested positive for a product on the World Doping Agency’s banned list, albeit one which could be construed as having therapeutic qualities.
The Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) have advised that they will not appeal the SANZAR judicial ruling to suspend Queensland Reds flyhalf Quade Cooper on a dangerous tackle charge to avoid further disruption to its team’s title defence which continues in two days time.
The disciplinary hearing of suspended Lions coach John Mitchell will start at the offices of the Golden Lions Rugby Union on Tuesday.
In news just in the Reds flyhalf has been suspended after receiving a white and yellow card on Saturday.
The ongoing saga surrounding suspended Lions coach John Mitchell’s position is likely to drag on past the end of the current Vodacom Super Rugby season.