Citing
Joe Marler
England and Harlequins prop Joe Marler has been cited for striking Wales prop Rob Evans in England’s 25 / 21 RBS 6 Nations victory over Wales at Twickenham.
Harlequins prop Marler appeared to land a forearm in the face of Evans while trying to assist Dan Cole ground the ball over Wales’s try-line.
“Joe Marler has been cited by the independent citing commissioner for allegedly striking an opponent in the 15th minute of the 1st half of the RBS 6 Nations match between England and Wales at Twickenham,” said an RBS 6 Nations statement.
If found guilty at a disciplinary hearing later this week, Marler will face an “entry-point” ban of 2 weeks, which would rule him out of England’s attempt to seal a 1st Grand Slam since 2003.
Officials have yet to decide whether a separate incident of verbal abuse, in which Harlequins prop Marler called Wales’s Samson Lee “gypsy boy” during the 1st half of England’s 25 / 21 win at Twickenham last Saturday, warrants disciplinary action.
Jonny Gray
Ross Ford
Ross Ford and Jonny Gray are in danger of missing Scotland’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against the Australian Wallabies, after both were cited on Monday.
1st Choice hooker Ford and lock Gray, who forms an effective partnership with older brother Richie, have been cited for a lifting tackle during Scotland’s thrilling 36 / 33 win over Samoa on Saturday.
Their hearing will take place in London on Tuesday morning and will be heard by English lawyer Christopher Quinlan.
Rayno Benjamin
Toyota Free State Cheetahs utility back Rayno Benjamin has escaped all sanction after he appeared before a SARU Judicial Hearing late on Monday afternoon.
According to the SARU Regulations, a player must appear before a judicial hearing after receiving 2 Yellow Cards in 1 match or 3 overall in a competition.
Benjamin was shown 2 Yellow Cards in their match against the Steval Pumas in Nelspruit in Round 9 of the Currie Cup – 1 for a dangerous tackle and another for a team offence, resulting in a Red Card.
He also received a Yellow Card against DHL Western Province earlier in the competition, to take his total tally to 3 in the competition.
His hearing was held late via teleconference before Duty Judicial Officer advocate Rob Stelzner, who decided not to impose any further sanction on the player.
Benjamin was therefore deemed available for selection for the Toyota Free State Cheetahs’ home fixture against the Cell C Sharks in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
rugby365
Alesana Tuilagi
Faifili Levave
Samoa’s hopes of rescuing something from a wretched Rugby World Cup campaign suffered a new blow after Faifili Levave and Alesana Tuilagi were cited over incidents during Saturday’s defeat by Japan.
Levave was sin-binned for the offence he has been cited for by independent Citing Commissioner Yves Thieffine, which is for “playing the opponent without the ball”.
Tuilagi, who enjoyed a successful spell with Leicester Tigers finishing leading try scorer in 2012, has been cited for an offence which was not seen at the time by South African referee Craig Joubert.
Tuilagi was accused of an alleged foul “striking with the knee” in the 2nd minute of the Pool B match in Milton Keynes, said a World Rugby statement. Japan won the game 26 / 5.
Michael Hooper
Australian Wallabies flank Michael Hooper could miss the Pool A decider with Wales after being cited over an incident during their crushing 33 / 13 defeat of England.
The incident concerning the 23-year-old – who along with fellow back row forward David Pocock were outstanding against England – took place in the 39th minute when he flung himself into a ruck leading with his shoulder which resulted in just a ticking off by French referee Romain Poite and a penalty being awarded to England when it was deep inside their own 22.
However, the independent citing commissioner Steve Hinds decided further action should be taken.
“Michael Hooper has been cited for an alleged act of foul play contrary to Law 10.4(h) – Charging into a ruck or maul without use of the arms or grasping the player – during the 39th minute of the Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool A match between England and Australia at Twickenham on Saturday, 3 October,” read the statement form the organisers.
Hooper’s hearing will take place on Tuesday morning in London and be heard by independent Judicial Officer Alan Hudson.
Michael Hooper
Wallabies flank Michael Hooper will have to wait at least 1 more day to find out if he will be available for his team’s Rugby Championship decider against the All Blacks.
Hooper appeared before a SANZAR judicial hearing on Wednesday, where he was charged with having punched Argentina flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez in his team’s 34 / 9 win over the Pumas at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas at the weekend.
Hooper was cited to appear before Nigel Hampton – via video conference – on Wednesday.
The Wallaby is alleged to have contravened Law 10.4 (a): Punching or striking.
The hearing has been adjourned until Thursday 30 July.
Michael Hooper
Michael Hooper of Australia’s Wallabies has been cited for alleged foul play during a Rugby Championship match at the weekend.
Hooper is alleged to have contravened Law 10.4 (a) Punching or striking, when he made contact with Los Pumas flyhalf, Nicolas Sanchez in an incident that occurred in the 59th minute of the match between the Pumas and Wallabies at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza on 25 July.
The case is to be considered in the first instance by SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Chris Morris.
All SANZAR disciplinary matters are in the first instance referred to a Duty Judicial Officer hearing to provide the option of expediting the judicial process.
For a matter to be dispensed with at this hearing, the person appearing must plead guilty and accept the penalty offered by the DJO.
Sonny Bill Williams
Sonny Bill Williams has been issued with a Citing Commissioner Warning for a dangerous tackle.
The Chiefs centre was warned for contravening Law 10.4 (e) Dangerous tackling during the clash with the Hurricanes in New Plymouth on Saturday.
The incident occurred in the 40th minute at Yarrow Stadium, but was not serious enough to warrant further sanction.
Laurie Weeks
Melbourne Rebel prop Laurie Weeks is facing a lengthy ban in the wake of his brain explosion against the Cell C Sharks at the weekend.
Weeks was handed a Red Card in his team’s 21 / 25 loss to the Sharks in Durban on Friday.
The Rebels prop launched a flurry of punches on Sharks rival Jannie du Plessis, after the latter had slapped him with an open hand against the back of the head.
Du Plessis was Yellow-Carded for his part in the ensuing fracas, which happened just short of the half-hour mark, while Weeks was shown a Red Card for landing about 10 punches on various parts of Du Plessis’ head.
Weeks will be have to appear before a judicial officer and will be charged with having contravened Law 10.4 (a): Punching or striking.
Robbie Coetzee
Robbie Coetzee of the Lions has been cited for alleged foul play during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
Coetzee is alleged to have contravened 10.4 (j) Lifting Tackle, in an incident which occurred in the 49th minute of the Super Rugby match between the Cheetahs and Lions at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on 23 May 2015.
The referee for the match, Jaco van Heerden, issued a yellow card for the incident. Upon further review of the match footage, the Citing Commissioner deemed in his opinion the incident had met the red card threshold for foul play.
The citing is to be considered in the first instance by SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton QC.
Tolu Latu
Will Skelton
2 Waratahs players were cited and suspended after the niggly Waratahs display on the weekend in their match against the Crusaders. Will Skelton was suspended for 2 weeks and Tolu Latu for 4 weeks.
It appears that the Waratahs will appeal the findings of both Hearings.
Will Skelton:
A SANZAR Judicial Hearing has found Will Skelton of the Waratahs guilty of contravening Law 10.4 (j) Lifting Tackle, after he was cited following a Super Rugby match at the weekend. Skelton has been suspended for 2 weeks up to and including Saturday 6 June 2015.
The incident occurred in the 17th minute of the Super Rugby match between the Waratahs and Crusaders at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on 23 May 2015.
The SANZAR Judicial Hearing was held by Robert Stelzner SC via video conference at 15:30 AEST (17:30 NZ Time, 07:30 SA Time) on 25 May 2015. Mike Mika was the former professional player who attended as a Judicial Technical Adviser.
Ian Prior
The SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton QC has accepted a guilty plea from Ian Prior of the Force for contravening Law 10.4 (j) Lifting Tackle, after he was sent off following a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
Prior has been suspended from all forms of the game for 3 weeks up to and including Sunday 17 May 2015.
The incident occurred in the 28th minute of the match between the Chiefs and Force at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on 24 April 2015.
SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton QC assessed the case.
James Broadhurst
James Broadhurst of the Hurricanes has been issued with a Citing Commissioner Warning for contravening Law 10.4 (g) Dangerous charging, during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
The incident occurred in the 50th minute of the match between the Reds and Hurricanes played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on 26 April 2015.
A Citing Commissioner Warning may be issued by the SANZAR Citing Commissioner for foul play incidents that are very close to, but in his opinion do not meet the red card threshold for citings.
Upon further review of the match footage the Citing Commissioner deemed a Citing Commissioner Warning was appropriate.
Ian Prior
Ian Prior of the Western Force received a Red Card for a tip-tackle on Tim Nanai-Williams during a Super Rugby match against the Chiefs on Friday.
Prior dumped Nanai-Williams in a tackle that saw the Chiefs wing land on his neck and head, in an incident that occurred in the 28th minute of the match at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton.
He is alleged to have contravened Law 10.4 (j) Lifting a player from the ground and dropping or driving that player into the ground whilst that player’s feet are still off the ground such that the player’s head and / or upper body come into contact with the ground.
The case is to be ruled by SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton.
Liam Messam
Chiefs captain Liam Messam’s citing has been upheld after the charge was amended to an act contrary to good sportsmanship.
However, there has been no sanction placed on the All Black flank.
Messam was cited, along with teammate Hika Elliot, Sharks captain Bismarck du Plessis and centre Frans Steyn, after a spiteful game in Durban last weekend.
The Chiefs captain was cited after the match for tackling and gripping Sharks flank Renaldo Bothma around the neck in a ruck – the incident went unnoticed by the match officials on the day.
A SANZAR judicial hearing has found Messam guilty of contravening Law 10.4 (m) Acts contrary to good sportsmanship.
No sanction has been imposed on the player.
Liam Gill of the Reds has been cited for alleged foul play during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
Gill is alleged to have contravened 10.4 (j) Lifting Tackle, in an incident which occurred in the 47th minute of the Super Rugby match between the Reds and Brumbies at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on 14 March 2015.
The referee for the match, Andrew Lees, referred the incident to the television match official and issued a yellow card. Upon further review of the match footage, the Citing Commissioner deemed in his opinion the incident had met the red card threshold for foul play.
James Broadhurst
James Broadhurst of the Hurricanes has been cited for alleged foul play during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
Broadhurst is alleged to have contravened 10.4 (a) Punching or striking, in an incident which occurred in the 61st minute of the Super Rugby match between the Hurricanes and Blues at FMG Stadium in Palmerston North on 13 March 2015.
Upon further review of the match footage, the Citing Commissioner deemed in his opinion the incident had met the Red Card threshold for foul play.
Chris Kuridrani
Chris Kuridrani of the Reds has been cited for alleged foul play during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
Kuridrani is alleged to have contravened 10.4 (e) Dangerous tackling and 10.4 (g) Dangerous charging, in an incident which occurred in the 21st minute of the Super Rugby match between the Reds and Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on 7 March 2015.
Upon further review of the match footage, the Citing Commissioner deemed in his opinion the incident had met the red card threshold for foul play.
Scott Higginbotham
A SANZAR judicial hearing has found Scott Higginbotham of the Rebels not guilty of stamping on Richie Mccaw after he was cited against the Crusaders at the weekend.
No further sanction has been imposed on the player.
The incident occurred in the 50th minute during the match between the Crusaders and Rebels at AMI Stadium in Christchurch last Friday.
Nic Stirzaker
The Duty Judicial Officer has accepted an acknowledgement of breach by Nic Stirzaker of the Rebels under Law 10.4 (b) Stamping or trampling. A player must not stamp or trample an opponent.
Stirzaker was cited after a Super Rugby match between the Crusaders and the Rebels at AMI Stadium, Christchurch on Friday 13 February 2015.
The player has been suspended from all forms of the game for one week up to and including Sunday 22 February 2015.
The Duty Judicial Officer, Nicholas Davidson QC, assessed the case and recorded:
“I took into account that the player admitted stamping which was accepted as reckless to the point of contact.
James Horwill
The Duty Judicial Officer has determined that no further sanction will be imposed upon James Horwill of the Reds after he was issued a red card during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
Horwill was issued a yellow card on two separate occasions for infringements at the breakdown, and at the maul. These occurred in the 48th and 75th minutes in the match between the Brumbies and the Reds at GIO Stadium in Canberra on 13 February 2015, and he was shown a red card on the second occasion.
SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Nicholas Davidson QC assessed the case and recorded the following:
“While no further sanction has been imposed, this is a warning to players and teams that the judiciary regards team warnings as a responsibility for all players to heed.
Charlie Matthews
Harlequins lock Charlie Matthews could face a ban of up to one year after he was cited for allegedly making contact with the eye area of Leinster flanker Dominic Ryan in last Saturday’s European Champions Cup match.
The 23-year-old – who was sin-binned by French referee Romain Poite for the altercation – will face a disciplinary panel in London on Wednesday.
The panel could impose anything from a low end sanction lasting 12 weeks, mid-range 24 weeks, while in the worst case scenario he could be banned for a year for a more serious offence.
Romain Taofifenua
Toulon second row forward Romain Taofifenua has been cited, following the European Champions Cup Round Two match against Ulster last Saturday 25 October.
Faofifenua is alleged to have kicked the Ulster centre Stuart Olding in the head, in the 47th minute of the Pool Three game at Kingspan Stadium in contravention of Law 10.4(c).
De Kock Steenkamp
Welsh club Ospreys have confirmed that they have signed Stormers lock De Kock Steenkamp on a three-year contract, despite the player having one more year on his contract in the Cape.
Steenkamp, 27, secured an early release from his Stormers contract and will join the PRO12 club after representing the Stormers on 49 occasions in Super Rugby and playing 59 games for the Western Province in the Currie Cup.
“Joining the Ospreys is a great opportunity for me and a challenge that I can’t wait to get stuck into,” said Steenkamp in a statement on Ospreys’ official website.
JD Schickerling
Blue Bulls Under 21 lock Marvin Orie has cited for dangerous tackle which led to WP lock JD Schickerling breaking his neck.
According to the SA Rugby Twitter page, Orie will appear before a SARU disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, starting at 16:00 SA Time.
Advocate Tokkie van Zyl has been appointed as the Judicial Officer.
Following a successful return to the Currie Cup Premier Division last weekend, Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse has opted for continuity in his selections for Friday’s match against defending champions the Sharks in Durban.
Stonehouse made a single change to the run-on side that beat the Free State Cheetahs 28-21 in Mbombela over the weekend.
Hugh McMeniman
Hugh McMeniman of the Force has been cited for alleged foul play during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
McMeniman is alleged to have contravened Law 10.4 (a) Punching or striking when he made contact with Reds player, Ben Lucas during the match between for Force and Reds at nib Stadium in Perth on Saturday 5 July 2014.
The referee for the match, Angus Gardner, reviewed the incident with the television match official and issued a yellow card.
Jean Deysel’s Red Card for stamping
Sharks flank Jean Deysel appeared before a SANZAR judicial hearing after he received a red card during their Super Rugby match against the Crusaders in Christchurch at the weekend.
Deysel received the red card for contravening Law 10.4 (b) – Stamping or trampling.
He received his marching orders from referee Rohan Hoffman for stamping on the face of Crusaders flank Jordan Taufua in the 16th minute on the game, which the Sharks remarkably won 30-25.
The judicial officer for the hearing is Jannie Lubbe and it was held via video conference on Tuesday (11:00 SA Time).
The Hearing took place but a decision regarding appropriate punishment could not be reached.
Following almost two hours of hearing evidence and submissions, the judicial officer, Jannie Lubbe, concluded matters and will release his judgment in the next 24 hours once he has given due consideration to the facts and evidence presented during the hearing.
SANZAR said no further comment will be made until this process has been completed.
Deysel will have to wait another day to hear if he will be suspended for stamping on the face of Crusaders flank Jordan Taufua.
Jean Deysel of the Sharks received a red card for foul play during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
He was cited following the game.
Deysel is alleged to have contravened Law 10.4 (b) Stamping or trampling. The incident occurred during the match between the Crusaders and Sharks at AMI Stadium, Addington in Christchurch on Saturday 17 May 2014. The referee for the match, Rohan Hoffman, issued a red card for the incident which occurred in the 16th minute.
Ed O’Donoghue of the Reds received a red card for foul play during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
He was cited foollowing the match.
O’Donoghue is alleged to have contravened Law 10.4 (m) Acts contrary to good sportsmanship. The incident occurred during the match between the Reds and Rebels at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday 17 May 2014. The referee for the match, Steve Walsh, issued a red card for the incident which occurred in the 79th minute.
Sharks captain Bismarck du Plessis praised the character of his team, after overcoming an early red card to beat the Crusaders on New Zealand soil for the first time.
Replacement Kyle Cooper scored a 75th-minute try to lift a Sharks team – reduced to 14 men for 63 minutes and to 13 during the second half – to a 30-25 win – the first win by South African team over the Crusaders in New Zealand since the Cats last did so in Nelson in 2001.
Cooper’s try forced the fifth and final lead change of the second half, clinching the Shark’s ninth win in 12 matches.
Flank Jean Deysel was shown a red card in the 17th minute for a vicious, off-the-ball stomp on the face of Crusaders back row forward Jordan Taufua – who, at the time was holding back the Sharks player, a tactic that went unpunished, despite continuously being employed by the Kiwi players throughout the match.
Jean Deysel stomping Jordan Taufua
Following initial consideration by the SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Jannie Lubbe SC, Flip van der Merwe of the Bulls will appear at a SANZAR Judicial Hearing after being cited for alleged foul play during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
Kurt Baker of the Highlanders has been cited by SANZAR for alleged foul play during their Super Rugby match against the Melbourne Rebels on Friday.
Highlanders loosehead prop Kane Hames has been cited for alleged foul play in the defeat to the Blues in Auckland on Saturday.
Hames is alleged to have contravened Law 10.4 (h) Dangerous charging when he made contact with Blues’ player Hayden Triggs in the 59th minute of their clash at Eden Park.
Wallabies backrower Ben McCalman’s birthday celebrations were soured on Tuesday when he received a two-week ban for a dangerous tackle in the Super Rugby competition.
The inspirational Western Force No 8 was cited for a spear, or ‘tip’, tackle on Otago Highlanders prop Kame Hames in the 73rd minute of his team’s 31-29 victory in Dunedin on Saturday.