EPCR statement: Tom O'Toole red card and Michael Lowry warning
An independent EPCR disciplinary hearing has banned prop Tom O’Toole for three matches and issued a warning to full-back Michael Lowry following this month’s Heineken Champions Cup elimination for Ulster at the hands of Toulouse. The Irish province carried a six-point first-leg lead into their Belfast rematch with the defending champions.
However, they failed to protect that advantage, losing out on a 50-49 aggregate after a 75th-minute converted try from Antoine Dupont proved decisive in a match where O’Toole was red-carded ten minutes earlier and Lowry was involved in an incident with Thomas Ramos.
An EPCR statement read: “The Ulster replacement prop, Tom O’Toole, has been suspended for three weeks following an independent disciplinary hearing arising from his club’s Heineken Champions Cup round of 16 second leg match against Toulouse at the Kingspan Stadium.
“O’Toole was sent off by the referee, Matthew Carley (England), in the 65th minute of the match for tackling the Toulouse back row, Anthony Jelonch, in a dangerous manner in contravention of law 9.13.
“The independent disciplinary committee comprising Gareth Graham (England, chair), Marcello d’Orey (Portugal) and Martyn Wood (England) considered video imagery of the incident and heard submissions from O’Toole, who accepted the red card decision, from the Ulster director of rugby operations, Bryn Cunningham, and from the EPCR disciplinary officer, Liam McTiernan.
“The committee upheld the red card decision, finding that in executing a tackle in a dangerous manner, O’Toole had made contact with Jelonch’s head. It then determined that the offending was at the mid-range of World Rugby’s sanctions and six weeks was selected as the appropriate entry point.
“Due to the player’s guilty plea and clear disciplinary record, and as there were no aggravating factors, it was decided to grant the full 50 per cent mitigation and the committee reduced the sanction by three weeks before imposing a three-week suspension. O’Toole is free to play on Monday, May 9. However, if he applies for and completes a World Rugby coaching intervention, he will be free to play next Monday, May 2.
“Meanwhile, Ulster’s Michael Lowry has been issued with a citing commissioner warning for making contact with the Toulouse full-back, Thomas Ramos, in the air in a dangerous manner in the 60th minute of the match in contravention of law 9.17. The match citing commissioner was Danae Zamboulis (Greece).”
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments