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Hefty ban is given to Worcester's red-carded Chris Ashton with lesser suspensions for Bath duo Tom Dunn and Will Muir
Former England international Chris Ashton will miss the majority of the remaining 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership season after he copped a lengthy ban following his red card while playing for Worcester in last weekend’s defeat to Northampton. Bath pair Tom Dunn and Will Muir will also be absent for the next while after they were banned following a respective red card and a citing versus London Irish.
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Ashton, the 34-year-old capped 44 times by England, was making his fourth appearance for Worcester since joining them from Harlequins in January when he was shown the red card by referee Andrew Jackson in the 49th minute of the match versus Saints at Sixways.
The winger contested the charge but it was upheld by the independent disciplinary panel comprising Gareth Graham (chair) with Sean Enright and Tony Wheat. They gave Ashton a six-week suspension, leaving him free to play again for Worcester on June 1.
An independent panel statement read: “The player accepted that he had committed an act of foul play but challenged the red card on the basis that he had not made direct contact to the head of his opponent. Any player choosing to contest a red card must prove on the balance of probabilities that the referee’s decision to award a red card was wrong.
“The panel took account of all the evidence with which it had been provided and could not be satisfied that the referee’s decision had been wrong. The referee had concluded that the player had committed an act of dangerous play in a ruck or maul that passed the red card threshold, which involved contact to the head/neck area. Such an offence carries with it a minimum mid-range entry point of six weeks.
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“The player does not have a good disciplinary record and the panel increased the sanction by one week to take account of this aggravating factor. The player had not accepted the charge. There was some limited mitigation present, including the positive way in which the player engaged with the hearing.
“The panel concluded that a reduction to the entry point of one week on account of the mitigation that was present was proportionate in all the circumstances of the case. The player is therefore suspended for a period of six weeks.”
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This Worcester ban for Ashton is a week longer than the combined suspensions for current England hooker Dunn, who was shown a red card by referee Craig Maxwell-Keys in the 61st minute of Bath’s loss at London Irish for striking with the elbow, and Muir, who was cited by independent citing commissioner Duncan Bell for tackling Rob Simmons.
Dunn and Muir accepted the charges against them and were given respective three and two-week suspensions by the independent disciplinary panel comprising Enright (chair) with Graham and Mitch Read. Each player’s free to play date is dependent on Bath confirmed fixture list.
A statement on the Dunn case read: “The panel had the benefit of written submissions from the player and the RFU in advance of the hearing. Considered alongside the video footage, the panel assessed the entry point as mid-range.
“This was not an intentional strike with the elbow and there had been a limited effect on the London Irish player who had been able to continue the game. The player has one matter on his disciplinary record from 2013 but the panel did not consider that this should prevent him from receiving the full mitigation available in light of his early guilty plea, his apology and the manner in which he engaged with the hearing process.
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“He is suspended for three weeks which will include three meaningful fixtures subject to Bath’s progress in the EPCR Challenge Cup.”
The statement concerning the Muir hearing stated: “The panel accepted that this was a clumsy, reckless action by the player but one which resulted in the London Irish player landing in a dangerous position. For that reason, the player accepted the citing and agreed that it merited a red card.
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“London Irish confirmed that their player experienced soreness but that he was able to play on and train and normal. The panel considered this to be at the low end of entry points which carries a four-week starting point.
“There are no aggravating features and the player was entitled to the full mitigation on account of his acceptance of the charge, clear record and other mitigation factors. He is suspended for two weeks which will cover two meaningful fixtures and will be subject to Bath’s progress in the EPCR Challenge Cup.”
ASHTON’S MISSING WORCESTER MATCHES
April 10 v Bristol (friendly)
April 17 v Harlequins
April 24 v Sale
May 8 v Exeter
May 15 v Wasps
May 28/29/30 v Leicester
June 4/5/6 v Newcastle*
*To be included if there is any change to the friendly fixture v Bristol on April 10.
DUNN’S MISSING BATH MATCHES
April 2 v Zebre (Challenge Cup)
April 9/10/11 v TBC (European Challenge Cup quarter-final, if applicable)
April 18 v Leicester
April 25 v Wasps”
*To be included if Bath don’t make the European Challenge Cup quarter-final
MUIR’S MISSING BATH MATCHES
April 2 v Zebre (Challenge Cup)
April 9/10/11 v TBC (European Challenge Cup quarter-final, if applicable)
April 18 v Leicester*
*To be included if Bath don’t make the European Challenge Cup quarter-final
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Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
8 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
8 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
16 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
16 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
8 Go to comments