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La Rochelle's Ronan O'Gara has ban increased for ugly ref incident
By Ian Cameron
La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara has had a ban for an ugly incident with a TOP 14 referee increased, after his initial ban was appealed.
The Corkman had originally been handed a two-week suspension for the incident that happened following his side’s loss to Pau in round 11 of the TOP 14.
La Rochelle appealed the decision to the appeals commission of the Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR), but instead of shortening it, the ban has been extended to four weeks.
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He was originally banned for “showing disrespect towards a referee’s authority” after he allegedly accosted referee Jérémy Rozier.
La Rochelle lost 53-33 after fly-half Antoine Hastoy was sent off in under a minute. O’Gara was then sent off himself in the 57th minute and had already served his two week ban for the incident.
He will now have to serve an additional two weeks, which will see him banned from the touchline for La Rochelle upcoming match with Montpellier.
Elsewhere Racing 92 hooker Janick Tarrit also had a ban extended on appeal. Tarrit was banned for an appallng head-butt to the chest of Toulouse second-row Efrain Elias, also in Round 11.
Tarrit was initially suspended for five weeks by the LNR disciplinary commission and had been able to return to action in early January. The FFR appeals commission has, however, extended his ban to eight weeks, meaning a further three week suspension for the front-rower.
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