We told ourselves that the PRO14 would be different to the Top 14, but they are all playing under the same rules.
Back in early September, Mathieu Bastareaud deliberately and callously took out Toulouse’s Christophe Samson, with a stiff forearm, at the bottom of a ruck and got a straight red card.
Given his past indisciplines and the sheer ugliness of the incident, many were convinced the Toulon centre would be banned for months. Instead, he got five weeks. We wrang our hands and tutted about how casual Top 14 officials were about such a clear act of violence taking place in their league.
Hot-headed Bastareaud sees red!
Toulon captain, Mathieu Bastareaud, received a red card for this forearm hit on Christophe Samson. A ban surely awaits the France international…#Top14 #RCTvCAS pic.twitter.com/OZD7YC2JHq
— Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) September 9, 2018
On Saturday, September 29 in Galway, Dominic Robertson-McCoy went one giant step further. That step was planted on the head of Leinster flanker Josh van der Flier.
The grim occurrence came just over a minute after the New Zealander had entered the game. He was fresh, he should have been thinking straight. He was trying to extricate his foot from a messy breakdown scene and may have felt van der Flier’s arm around his foot. If he did, the actions that followed are even worse.
The clip below shows the prop glancing down. He knows the Leinster man is there. All he could surely say was that he had meant the stamp but never meant to connect with the head and neck.
Credit: eir SportOn Wednesday, Robertson-McCoy had the opportunity to defend himself.
We will never know all that transpired at the Disciplinary Hearing in Edinburgh – the player spoke via video conference – but we do know, from a PRO14 press release, that there was ‘early and full acknowledgement of his actions’ and remorse expressed.
It was ‘determined that the act of foul play warranted a top-end entry point of 12 weeks’. Even 12 weeks is a weak ban for such a dangerous act but PRO14, like the Top 14, go by the current World Rugby laws.
Law 9.12 – A player must not physically or verbally abuse anyone. Physical abuse includes, but is not limited to, biting, punching, contact with the eye or eye area, striking with any part of the arm (including stiff-arm tackles), shoulder, head or knee(s), stamping, trampling, tripping or kicking.
Look back at that list of deeds – contact with eye area, biting, head-butts, dropping a knee or trampling. 12 weeks and you’re back on the pitch and free to do your thing unless, that is, you are contrite.
In reducing the Connacht prop’s ban from 12 to 6 weeks, the disciplinary panel ‘also considered the player’s previous clean disciplinary record, his early and full acknowledgement of his actions and the remorse he expressed and concluded that full mitigation of 50% should be applied’.
Robertson-McCoy is able to play again from midnight Sunday, November 18 but Connacht’s next game is away to Southern Kings on November 25. Here are the games he will miss:
- Ulster (PRO14)
- Bordeaux (Challenge Cup)
- Sale Sharks (Challenge Cup)
- Ospreys (PRO14)
- Dragons (PRO14)
Five games on the sidelines. Robertson-McCoy sought out van der Flier after the game to profusely apologise to him and the Leinster man accepted it. Van der Flier was fortunate to escape serious injury – somehow not going off for even a Head Injury Assessment – and that went in the prop’s favour.
At this stage, most players know they will get time sliced off their bans if they plead guilty, apologise, show up in a presentable manner to the hearing and reach out to the stricken opponent (by tweet, text, phone-call or in person). That is an area that World Rugby – pressed, hopefully by the leagues that fall back on their rules – need to address.
At a time when many players and coaches – past and present – are lamenting that the game has ‘gone soft’, World Rugby’s laws are proving the exact opposite. The laws are soft and this good behaviour practice needs reviewing.
Robertson-McCoy is, by accounts we have heard, not that sort of player. Last Saturday, he was that sort of player and a six-week ban is absolutely ridiculous.
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