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Season potentially over for ex-ABs prop Faumuina after Top 14 ban

(Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

Ex-All Blacks prop Charlie Faumuina is poised to miss the remainder of the 2021/22 season in France unless defending champions Toulouse reach the final of this year’s Top 14. The prop was red-carded on May 21 for a shoulder charge in his team’s away win at Brive and he has now received a three-game ban. 

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With just one regular-season match remaining before the playoffs, at home to relegated Biarritz this Sunday, the only way for Faumuina to feature again for Toulouse this season would be if they go on and win matches in the playoff barrage and the semi-final. 

Toulouse are currently in the sixth and last spot to make the playoffs and must win this weekend or fear being overtaken by one of the teams immediately below them, Toulon or Lyon.  

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A Ligue Nationale de Rugby statement following the disciplinary hearing for Faumuina read: “Charlie Faumuina was found responsible for charging. The average degree of the scale of gravity was retained, that is to say a suspension of six weeks.

“After taking into account the mitigating circumstances (clean disciplinary record, recognition of the guilt, conduct before and during the hearing and expression of remorse), the penalty was reduced by three weeks.

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“Consequently, Charlie Faumuina is suspended for three weeks. The date of requalification of will be communicated later, taking into account the end of the 2021/2022 season at Stade Toulousain and, where applicable, the calendar 2022/2023 matches played by his club.”

It was 2017 when Faumuina, a 2015 World Cup winner, won the last of his 50 Test caps before heading to play his club rugby in France at Toulouse where he is now at the end of his fifth season. He has played 20 matches for them this season, 13 as the tighthead starter.  

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cw 4 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Thanks JW for clarifying your point and totally agree. The ABs are still trying to find their mojo” - that spark of power that binds and defines them. Man the Boks certainly found theirs in Wellington! But I think it cannot be far off for ABs - my comment about two coaches was a bit glib. The key point for me is that they need first a coach or coaches that can unlock that power and for me that starts at getting the set piece right and especially the scrum and second a coach that can simplify the game plans. I am fortified in this view by NBs comment that most of the ABs tries come from the scrum or lineout - this is the structured power game we have been seeing all year. But it cannot work while the scrum is backpeddling. That has to be fixed ASAP if Robertson is going to stick to this formula. I also think it is too late in the cycle to reverse course and revert to a game based on speed and continuity. The second is just as important - keep it simple! Complex movements that require 196 cm 144 kg props to run around like 95kg flankers is never going to work over a sustained period. The 2024 Blues showed what a powerful yet simple formula can do. The 2025 Blues, with Beauden at 10 tried to be more expansive / complicated - and struggled for most of the season.

I also think that the split bench needs to reflect the game they “want” to play not follow some rote formula. For example the ABs impact bench has the biggest front row in the World with two props 195cm / 140 kg plus. But that bulk cannot succeed without the right power based second row (7, 4, 5, 6). That bulk becomes a disadvantage if they don’t have a rock solid base behind them - as both Boks showed at Eden Park and the English in London. Fresh powerful legs need to come on with them - thats why we need a 6-2 bench. And teams with this split can have players focused only on 40 minutes max of super high intensity play. Hence Robertson needs to design his team to accord with these basic physics.



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