Matthieu Ugalde Enters Rugby's Eye Gouging Punishment Lottery
Brive’s Matthieu Ugalde is likely to be in a spot of bother for ‘making contact with the eyes or the eye area of an opponent’ last weekend, but the length of his ban – if he is banned at all – is anyone’s guess. James Harrington asks why such incidents are punished so inconsistently.
You probably remember Owen Franks’ alleged eye gouge on Kane Douglas in the Bledisloe Cup match in Wellington earlier this year.
It caused a furore at the time, especially when SANZAAR failed to cite Franks for the incident and World Rugby said it could do nothing about decision.
It’s true. They can’t. Disciplinary matters are the responsibility of tournament organisers.
Even the support of the alleged gougee, who generously said that he didn’t think the incident was worthy of the attention it received, did little to dampen the anger of the social media rugby collective.
Now, there’s this, from Saturday’s pitch battle between Grenoble and Brive in France’s Top 14.
Watch: Grenoble vs Brive Full Game | Condensed
It’s fair to say Brive’s Matthieu Ugalde is likely to be in a spot of bother. The video evidence appears damning, and Grenoble players clearly noticed it at the time, even if referee Sebastien Minery did not. No cards were flourished for this particular incident in a match which saw three reds and three yellows drawn from Minery’s pocket.
By the time of the alleged gouging, the game had already boiled over. At the end of the first half, Grenoble’s Sona Taumalolo and Nigel Hunt, and the visitors’ Damien Jourdain, were sent off for their part in a violent brawl.
And two of the three yellows were brandished in a penalty heavy final 10 minutes.
The good news, at least, is try-scorer Armand Batlle was able to continue. But that’s beside the point. The fact is rugby authorities have an eye-gouging problem that they have been unable to deal with for decades.
The maximum ban for ‘making contact with the eyes or the eye area of an opponent’, as the laws of the game rather tamely describe it, is three years.
The minimum is 12 weeks.
To date, only Colomiers’ Richard Nones has been handed anything close to a maximum sanction. He was banned for 104 weeks, or two years, for gouging Pontypridd’s Sven Cronk during a European Cup match in 1999.
The problem is that there is little consistency across the game. Individual cases are the purview of tournament organisers. SANZAAR decided not to cite Owen Franks.
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Most bans are at the lower end of the scale. World Rugby itself banned Argentina lock Mariano Galarza for gouging Brodie Retallick during last year’s World Cup – a tournament it organises – for 13 weeks, with a four-week reduction for previous good behaviour.
Nones was banned by authorities responsible for the former Heineken Cup. In fact, the old European competition has a history of tough sanctions. Stade Francais’ prop David Attoub was slapped with a 70-week ban for gouging Ulster’s Stephen Ferris during a stormy Heineken Cup game in December 2009.
It was, presiding officer Jeff Blackett said at the time, “the worst act of contact with the eyes that I have had to deal with.”
The Paris side’s scrum-half Julien Dupuy also copped a 24-week ban, reduced to 23 on appeal, for gouging Ferris moments earlier.
But it’s not up to European authorities to rule on the incident during the Grenoble vs Brive game. It’s up to France’s Ligue National de Rugby, who run the Top 14. Whatever they decide, World Rugby’s hands are tied.
Fortunately, World Rugby’s charismatic vice-chairman Agustin Pichot has at least recognised that there is a problem. All he has to do is work out a way to do something about it. Maybe taking a leaf from the former European competition is the first step.
Comments on RugbyPass
Did footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper 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?
10 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.
10 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…??? 🤑🤑🤑
34 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
34 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 comments