Northern Edition
Select Edition
Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France
14 - 50
FT
46 - 7
FT
Tomorrow
07:00
Tomorrow
09:30
Tomorrow
09:30
Saturday
05:00
Saturday
06:30
Saturday
07:00
Saturday
07:00
Saturday
07:00
Saturday
07:05
Saturday
09:00
Saturday
09:30
Saturday
09:30
Saturday
11:45
Saturday
12:00
Sunday
07:00
Sunday
07:00
Sunday
09:00
Sunday
12:05
TOP 14Toulon

Former Toulon player charged following incident in casino

Ben Barba in action for St Helens in 2018. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Former Toulon player Ben Barba has been charged over an incident at a Townsville casino on the Australian Day weekend which ended his NRL career.

ADVERTISEMENT

Barba, who played in the Super League last year with St Helens, was sacked by North Queensland without playing a game for the club last month over allegations he was violent towards his partner Ainslie Currie before being deregistered by the NRL.

The 29-year-old has been charged with two counts of public nuisance and will appear in Townsville Magistrates Court on March 22.

A ban on him entering Townsville’s entertainment precinct has been extended by three months, Queensland police said on Tuesday.

The 2012 Dally M medallist was charged a day after telling a television news crew he had “lost everything” and was getting ready to hand himself into police over allegations.

Ben Barba won the 2016 NRL Grand Final with Cronulla Sharks. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

He reportedly will not face domestic violence-related charges because Ms Currie has not made a complaint to police.

ADVERTISEMENT

The NRL’s integrity unit viewed CCTV footage of the physical altercation allegedly between Barba and Ms Currie before league boss Todd Greenberg banned him from the competition.

After winning a premiership with Cronulla in 2016, the star fullback’s career spiralled out of control when he tested positive for cocaine for a second time.

After stints in French rugby union and the English Super League, he was offered a lifeline to the NRL by the Cowboys before his sacking on February 1.

Credit: AAP

Watch: Waratahs lock Jed Holloway ahead of Brumbies showdown

Video Spacer

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video
LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

1

Top 8 Rugby Union to League cross-code moves in the pro era

2

Sharks captain Mbonambi addresses controversial incident with referee

10
3

Rugby league to follow union in lowering tackle height

4

‘It’s about his career’: Why NRL star Payne Haas could jump codes

5

Rugby League World Cup slides into crisis

6

Watch: Chaotic scenes as bull runs wild at French Super League match

7

‘He’d be open to a switch’: Rugby Australia want NRL star Nathan Cleary

3

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

LONG READ

The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Time was, the rugby world cast envious glances at Antipodean coaching. Now, Australia and New Zealand are fishing desperately for new ideas.

211
LONG READ

'To lose one Welsh captain is unfortunate; to lose two might be considered a bit careless'

The departures of Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake has only fuelled the sense of anger and uncertainty over the future of Ospreys.

6
LONG READ

How Glasgow found the bleu-print for beating Toulouse

Extreme precision at the ruck allowed Glasgow to remove the jackaling juggernauts from the Toulouse arsenal.

19

Comments on RugbyPass

C
CS 52 minutes ago
Top 10 Test points scorers of 2025: Sacha just fell short at the death

Morgane Bourgeois (France) 106.

2 Go to comments
C
CS 1 hour ago
Top 10 Test points scorers of 2025: Sacha just fell short at the death

Zoe Harrison (England) 101. Any others? You didn't state it was only men!

2 Go to comments
P
PMcD 1 hour ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

I don’t think AUS are alone Ardy, I think IRE (and Leinster) are suffering a similar thing, as are ENG where the Lions players have been dropping like flies with injuries and they have been limiting their playing time since returning after the Lions.

I think an awful lot went into that Lions series but the toll has been felt since in AUS, IRE & ENG who provided the majority of the players.



...

211 Go to comments
P
PMcD 1 hour ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Merry Christmas NB - have really enjoyed our chats this year and look forward to many more.

I’m not sure what has happened in IRE but having been blessed with multiple tightheads . . . . since Furlong emerged, the THP stocks have been a little bare in that department.



...

211 Go to comments
D
DG 1 hour ago
Boks need more depth: 5 things on South Africa's Christmas wishlist

Comforting that you considered my views credible. Hope we can agree to disagree again in 2026.

14 Go to comments
N
NB 2 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?



So when you say they are overcomplicating it I’m thinking about how they’re trying to use the ball in hand, which is what any DNA refit would have to revolve around?

Funnily enough, a well-known international analyst just sent me a stat pack for the TRC which showed that among other stats, NZ scored 86% of their tries from scrum or lineout starters, and 70% from launches inside the opposing 22. They only scored two tries starting from their own side of halfway, lowest by far in TRC 2025!



...

211 Go to comments
N
NB 2 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Well he knew they could not cycle backwards so you could say it clarified his vision of where to go next.

211 Go to comments
N
NB 2 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Israel Folau JW??

Yes he has footwork and speed in a straight line so let him use it in space for once. Not running into traffic.



...

211 Go to comments
N
NB 2 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Munster are chronically weak at THP where they have had to recycle John Ryan for the umpteenth time and pick a guy who has played all his life in the AIL!

211 Go to comments
N
NB 2 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

There have been others, notably Steve Tandy wo went to Oz without any coaching role and got the D gig in NSW. Then went on to coach Scotland and the Lions’ D and is now head coach of Wales! So yes, take the short term hit for the long term gain😁

211 Go to comments
N
NB 2 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Exactly, when you have the person you want yoyu create the role around them, not vice versa!

211 Go to comments
D
DP 2 hours ago
Boks need more depth: 5 things on South Africa's Christmas wishlist

Yes, I think he would fit the Bok mould rather nicely

14 Go to comments
P
PMcD 3 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

The AB’s had ENG’s number last year (with 3 wins from 3) and you may recall me saying I thought ENG had improved since the 6N’s last year, improving the attack (in the 6N’s), strengthening the replacement scrum and appeared to be improving in defence but it still took me a little to work out how much the 5x7’s changed the game this Autumn.

I don’t think many people expected the ENG defence to be as strong as it was (and was still a bit of a surprise for me as an ENG fan), or how much Baxter & Heyes have improved their scrummaging. You may recall how quickly they went in reverse last Autumn 12 months ago but they were very solid this year and have significantly improved.



...

211 Go to comments
P
PMcD 4 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

I think that’s the reality of having the Top 7 or 8 teams all being capable of beating each other on a given day, which is forcing greater strength in depth.

It used to be a tough selection guessing the matchday 23 but the 36 was always fairly obvious and I think SA & FRA have been having more of a challenge to pick a 36 and ENG are about to have the same issue this 6 N’s, where some test level starters will miss out (especially on the wings & back row).



...

211 Go to comments
J
JJ 5 hours ago
'To lose one Welsh captain is unfortunate; to lose two might be considered a bit careless'

Indeed, ‘‘We’re doomed!’’. Merry Christmas to you Mark. Then Happy New Year until the 6Nations starts. Then reality sets in. The Ospreys players were told last week that they all need to find new employment. One has to wonder what sort of Christmas they are having. The academy players are spending Christmas studying hard to get the grades needed to go to the english clubs’ academies. Timing has never been a strong point in Welsh rugby; remember Gareth Jenkins sacking in 2007? What we want for Christmas is the removal of the WRU board! That would be perfect timing.

6 Go to comments
M
MO 5 hours ago
'To lose one Welsh captain is unfortunate; to lose two might be considered a bit careless'

Perhaps the last one to leave Welsh rugby ought to do the decent thing and turn out the lights. At this rate there won’t be any elite players left to play in the “world-class system” those in charge say they want to create. The union should have had Frazer from Dad’s Army to write their Christmas message.

6 Go to comments
J
JW 5 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

He certainly did something drastic, I wouldn’t say they were radical, but to completely pull the pin and return to type in Game 2 v Australia certainly takes some balls and is the exact opposite of NZ (though they really didn’t have the same base to go back to).

I think that actually gives his team a lot more freedom when he changed the selections and tried it again v NZ.



...

211 Go to comments
J
JW 6 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

You’re having to leave out a lot of class names there PMCD.

211 Go to comments
S
SB 6 hours ago
Bomb Squad or Pom Squad? Rugby's best benches revealed

Huh?

The title of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod before the series was “Who starts the All Blacks against a disrespectful French side?”



...

27 Go to comments
J
JW 6 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Doesn’t strike me as a winger, and I really like the bunch they have too.

You might be right as in a modern day wing skillset being more suitable to PSDT than their short trio. I doubt it though still. It is the same backline at NSW too where they don’t really have any other center pairing options.



...

211 Go to comments
Close
ADVERTISEMENT