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Ban balls-up leaves Jacques du Plessis free to play in Top 14 knockout phase

By James Harrington
Montpellier's Jacques du Plessis

What is the collective noun for a group of Du Plessises, anyway?

An administrative cock-up means Montpellier can field their full complement of four Du Plessises in the Top 14 play-off quarter-final against defending champions Racing 92.

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The matchday 23 could feature Bismarck, and Jannie, and Willie, and Jacques – even though the latter du Plessis was, on Wednesday, handed a four-week ban after he was cited for striking La Rochelle’s Romain Sazy during the 40-37 defeat in April.

The problem: the Ligue National du Rugby (LNR), which runs the Top 14 competition, failed to include a simple five-word phrase in its official notification to Montpellier of the citing committee’s decision.

That phrase – exécution provisoire de la décision (provisional execution of the decision) – would have denied the club the right to appeal. But, it wasn’t included. So the club has that right. And the club has exercised it.

The LNR confirmed its error on Friday.

With an appeal now pending, du Plessis is free to play in the ‘barrage’ match against Racing 92 at the Altrad Stadium – a match Montpellier are strong favourites to win. Further, because the French rugby union (FFR) cannot convene until 15 days after the appeal letter is received, he could also feature in next week’s semi-final against Clermont in Marseille.

He could even play in the final in Paris on June 4 – because the earliest the FFR can convene to hear his appeal is… June 5.

It is the second time this one incident has embarrassed the LNR.

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Referee Romain Poite sin-binned du Plessis. Under the league’s three-strikes rule, players receive an automatic one-match ban once they have received three yellow cards. This was his third.

He should not have been available for the final match of the regular season – a 27-26 win over Stade Francais, decided with the final kick of the game.

Du Plessis was not named in the original matchday 23. But he was a late addition to the squad and came on at halftime.

Stade filed a complaint to the LNR. But it ruled – as Montpellier had clearly worked out when they added his name to the teamsheet late-on – that because he was later cited, that automatic ban was on hold, pending the citing commissioner’s ruling.

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No rules have been broken. The exact opposite, in fact – the rules have been followed to the letter. In so doing, they have been rendered useless by Montpellier’s lawyer-smart use of molecule-width hair-splitting technicality. And their spirit has been just ever so slightly tainted.

Ironically, had Stade’s complaint been upheld and the win awarded to them, they would have finished sixth. And that would mean a knockout round match this weekend against Montpellier. But that’s a moot point, now. 

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Jon 6 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”?

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j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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