Schalk Berger, handed an eight-week ban for eye-gouging, actually raking at someone’s eyes with his finger.
Bakkies Botha, handed a two-week ban for an illegal hit on Adam Jones that dislocated the shoulder of a 20-stone man.
Simon Shaw, handed a two-week ban for basically throwing himself (all 6-foot eight and 19 stone of him) knees-first into the ribs of a guy significantly smaller than he is.
Tom Williams, who isn’t a big name international like the others, handed a 12-MONTH ban for obeying team orders and ‘faking an injury’ to allow himself to be substituted so they could get a kicker back on the pitch. What they’re calling a faked injury looked to me more like blood pouring from his nose so all I can think of is that they decided there was nothing to stitch up with a bloody nose so it didn’t count as a blood substitution.
Yes the club should have been fined, and they have (a record amount I believe) but in a season where trying to push your fingers into someone’s eye sockets merits eight weeks suspension, you’ve gotta wonder what they hell’s going on.
For some cases of in-game violence, I’d actually like to see the police promtply go onto the pitch, read the suspect his rights, and march him off in handcuffs.
For Simon Shaw, I think they found evidence he’d used a fake blood capsule. Nevertheless, you’re quite right that his ban, compared to 8 weeks for deliberately causing someone potential, permanent eyesight impairment is astonishing. A deliberate eye-gouge should reasonably merit lifetime exclusion.
Really? hadn’t heard about the fake blood capsule. That makes it even more astonishing that the coaches have got off without charge then – does anyone think a player takes a fake blood capsule into every match ‘just in case’? For that case, why is it even included in the team medical bag?!
Oops on two counts. Firstly, I meant Tom Williams not Shaw. Secondly, I was confusing him with someone else in the same article I read on it who had used a blood capsule. They did him mostly for winking at the bench as he left the pitch.
Ah, right.
Weird that they can infer his intention from a wink. Someone claiming the prop is injured (as Gatland does every match) on the 60th minute and putting on one that came off after 30 is fine, just as long as the guy doesn’t wink presumably? Madness, madness I say!
For some cases of in-game violence, I’d actually like to see the police promtply go onto the pitch, read the suspect his rights, and march him off in handcuffs.
For Simon Shaw, I think they found evidence he’d used a fake blood capsule. Nevertheless, you’re quite right that his ban, compared to 8 weeks for deliberately causing someone potential, permanent eyesight impairment is astonishing. A deliberate eye-gouge should reasonably merit lifetime exclusion.
Really? hadn’t heard about the fake blood capsule. That makes it even more astonishing that the coaches have got off without charge then – does anyone think a player takes a fake blood capsule into every match ‘just in case’? For that case, why is it even included in the team medical bag?!
Oops on two counts. Firstly, I meant Tom Williams not Shaw. Secondly, I was confusing him with someone else in the same article I read on it who had used a blood capsule. They did him mostly for winking at the bench as he left the pitch.
Ah, right.
Weird that they can infer his intention from a wink. Someone claiming the prop is injured (as Gatland does every match) on the 60th minute and putting on one that came off after 30 is fine, just as long as the guy doesn’t wink presumably? Madness, madness I say!