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Uproar after Bourgarit's eye-gouging gets ban just two weeks worse than Addison's badly-timed tackle
La Rochelle’s Pierre Bourgarit, Ulster’s Will Addison and Montpellier’s Jacques du Plessis were all handed various bans on Wednesday after last weekend’s round two of the Champions Cup, punishments that have caused yet more contention.
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Du Plessis received a five-week ban for a Sebastien Vahaamahina-esque strike to Gloucester’s Gerbrandt Grobler face in a maul, but the bans for the France and Ireland internationals have proven more controversial.
Addison was suspended for a tackle on Clermont lock Paul Jedrasiak in their Champions Cup encounter. It was a dangerous tackle and worthy of punishment, but it was simply down to poor technique and timing which led to a clash of heads and the second row leaving the field. He was given a six-week ban reduced to four due to his disciplinary record.
6 weeks for that and Addison get 4 weeks for slightly poor tackle technique…joke
— Chris Walkingshaw (@cwalkingshaw) November 28, 2019
He got 50% reduction because he pleaded guilty (couldn't really deny it). Its a joke the disciplinary process needs looked at addison got 4 weeks for poor technique and this deliberate act got 6 the system doesn't work.
— Adrian Mc kinney (@adrian_kinney32) November 28, 2019
In comparison Pierre Bourgarit who intentionally gouged Tom Curry's eyes got a 6 week ban. Consistency?
— Peter scott (@Pete330v2) November 27, 2019
Four weeks would seem fair for what happened, but it is the fact that Bourgarit only received six for eye-gouging Tom Curry that has caused an uproar. The hooker flagrantly committed one of the worst offences conceivable in rugby and his ban has caused a great deal of confusion.
To get 6 for that, a deliberate eye gouge, and Addison got 4 for his is ridiculous.
— Ryan C (@RDC_87) November 27, 2019
@lukefitz11 @RuaidhriOC @gerrythornley 4 weeks for Addison for a tackle that was mistimed by a fraction of a section and 6 weeks for Bourgarit for deliberate and obvious contact with the eyes/face of an opponent! What is going on with EPRC?? Doesn’t Bourgarit deserve more??
— Michael (@mikekerrypdx) November 27, 2019
The offence was adjudicated to be at the top end of World Rugby’s sanctions for contact with the eye area, which carries a minimum twelve-week ban. However, that was reduced to six due to the 23-year-old’s disciplinary record and his expression of remorse, which seems to be the popular thing to do if a player wants their ban reduced.
@WorldRugby How can you justify the length of ban for the Pierre Bourgarit's eye gouge incident compared to Will Addison's dangerous tackle? The system is broken.
— WJE-SUFTUM (@WJE_SUFTUM) November 27, 2019
Pierre Bourgarit gets 6 weeks for deliberately sticking his finger in Tom Curry's eye. Will Addison got four weeks for a badly timed tackle. How is a eye gouge only 2 weeks worse? #championscup #Rugby
— Matt Cassidy (@Cass_maitias) November 27, 2019
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The way in which bans for a mistimed tackle and eye-gouging only carry a two-week difference has left many people questioning the citing process.
While it is not the worst case of gouging seen on a pitch, the prevailing majority of fans felt this was worthy of a far longer ban as Bourgarit will return to rugby in early January.
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Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
29 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
29 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
29 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
29 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
29 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
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