Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Kaino and Pointud appeals rejected

By Peter Thompson
Toulouse number eight Jerome Kaino

Toulouse duo Jerome Kaino and Lucas Pointud have failed with appeals against bans imposed following the European Champions Cup win over Bath.

ADVERTISEMENT

Former New Zealand international Kaino was shown a yellow card for what was adjudged to be a dangerous tackle on Bath centre Jamie Roberts in the Top 14 side’s 22-20 victory at The Rec.

Kaino was hit with a five-week ban after an independent disciplinary committee ruled that he should have been sent off for striking Roberts with his shoulder.

The number eight challenged that decision, but an independent appeal committee upheld the sanction in Paris on Thursday.

Kaino’s team-mate Pointud was cited for striking Bath prop Nathan Catt with his shoulder, resulting in a four-week suspension.

Prop Pointud was not shown a card during the Pool 1 encounter, but the same committee agreed with the initial verdict that he should have seen red.

Kaino will miss Toulouse’s next four Top 14 matches but will be free to return against Wasps on December 8.

ADVERTISEMENT

Pointud, who was banned for the 28-27 win over defending champions Leinster at the weekend along with Kaino, will be unavailable for the clashes with Perpignan, Bordeaux-Begles and Pau.

European Professional Club Rugby on Tuesday confirmed Toulouse’s win at Bath would stand after the Premiership side’s owner Bruce Craig called for the match to replayed as he felt referee Andrew Brace blew for full-time early.

Craig was also unhappy that Kaino and Pointud were not sent off in a dramatic encounter.

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Andy Christie: 'Diversity breeds strength in a group rather than weakness' Andy Christie: 'Diversity breeds strength in a group rather than weakness'
Search