Championship player banned for 15 matches for a 'deliberate bite'
A massive 15-match ban for biting an opponent has been handed down to a 27-year-old Championship-level lock. Seasoned Bedford player Jordan Onojaife, who was a member of the England U20s squad that won the 2014 Junior World Championship, was cited for an incident during a melee after the final play in last month’s second-tier game versus Ealing and the disciplinary hearing verdict will see him unable to play again until April 17.
It was Friday when the suspension was finally made public. A statement on the Championship website about the December 13 hearing read: “The case of Bedford Blues’ Jordan Onojaife was heard by an independent disciplinary panel chaired by Matthew O’Grady with Becky Essex and Guy Lovgreen.
“Onojaife was charged with a single offence of physical abuse contrary to World Rugby law 9.12 for biting the finger of an Ealing Trailfinders player in the match on December 10. The player denied the charge and denied committing any act of foul play.
“However, the panel upheld the charge and Onojaife was banned for 15 weeks. Subject to any of these fixtures not taking place, the player will be free to resume playing from Monday, April 17.”
The statement was accompanied by a lengthy 21-page written judgment that contained a series of graphic pictures showing the finger damage suffered by Carlo Tizzano, the ex-Waratahs back-rower who exited the Super Rugby Pacific scene last summer to join the London-based Trailfinders.
In his evidence, Tizzano claimed that after he ran into the melee to break players up he wound up getting bitten. “Tizzano said it was upsetting. He had never seen anything like it before. He said the bite was hard… and he firmly denied the player’s case that Tizzano tried to ‘fish hook’ the player’s mouth. He was on antibiotics to prevent infection and had not received any expression of remorse, regret or apology from the player or from anyone on the player’s behalf.”
Onojaife, who played one Premiership match for Northampton before embarking on a Championship career that took him to Moseley, Rotherham, Bedford, Ealing and Nottingham before he return to the Blues for his second stint, suggested that the RFU’s case was “nonsensical” and that anything played frame-by-frame showed a different story to watching it at live speed.
He said: “I cannot let, kind of, slander like this go because it has huge consequences. I’m obviously emotionally charged because I have not intentionally or unintentionally bitten anyone. You know, the boy’s hand… finger’s been in my mouth. Only he knows why he did that and only I know if I bit him and I’m telling you categorically I have not bitten that boy. So, sitting here, it’s kind of a hard one… these allegations are huge.”
In its findings, the judiciary concluded: “This was a deliberate bite of an opponent. The bite was hard. Given the force used, we conclude that the player intended to inflict momentary pain.” An 18-week entry point was chosen, a sanction that was reduced by three weeks.
- Click here to read the full judgment from the Jordan Onojaife disciplinary hearing
Comments on RugbyPass
I’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
137 Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
2 Go to commentsWhat ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
137 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
137 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
137 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
137 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
137 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
137 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
137 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
137 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
137 Go to commentsHo hum.
137 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
137 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
137 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
137 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
137 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
137 Go to comments