Nathan Hughes (Wasps Rugby) appeared before an RFU Disciplinary panel this evening, charged with striking with the knee and/or shin, contrary to Law 10.4(a), during Northampton Saints v Wasps RFC on Friday March 27 in the Aviva Premiership.

Hughes was found guilty of the charge and given a three-week ban*, starting today (March 31). He is free to play again on April 28.

Commenting on the judgement, Sir James Dingemans said “This was a three week ban on the basis that no intention was found.

“However, there was recklessness meaning that, notwithstanding the harm, it was a low entry point of four weeks with mitigation of one week to reflect his previous clean playing record.”

The Panel comprised Sir James Dingemans (Chair), Aidan O’Brien and Martyn Wood.

*To include three meaningful fixtures.

Sounds like “nothing that wrong, but we have to do something for the carelessness”. Kind of fair enough I suppose

You dont get a 3 week ban for doing nothing wrong. They can rule the red is enough.

Saw this on another bored

Really don’t see the ban.

Lung is right. SRU have a reputation for wrecking players. They wreck them with gym work to bulk them up but as teens that ruins their bodies. Seen it with a few players from schoolboy, who should have gone places but haven’t, not helped by the strange they’re foreign so must be better policy they ran for a while.

CaptainFlashheart – Member

If this lad can keep this pace and awareness, he’ll go far!

http://www.eatsleeprugby.co.uk/school-boy/tyrese-johnson-fisher-tearing/

WOW!

I posted up this video several pages back – do keep up…..

SRU have a reputation for wrecking players. They wreck them with gym work to bulk them up but as teens that ruins their bodies. Seen it with a few players from schoolboy, who should have gone places but haven’t,

And we both know that we’re talking about the very same players. Good job that they have rich parents and a decent education, in particular combustion chemistry, to fall back on.

SRU have a reputation for wrecking players. They wreck them with gym work to bulk them up but as teens that ruins their bodies.

Really? can’t say I had ever heard of that reputation. One of the guys who used to be involved in the 7’s and junior strength and conditioning is an aquaintance of mine. If you email me the name of the player,I could put any concerns to him.

One of the guys who used to be involved in the 7’s and junior strength and conditioning is an aquaintance of mine

What’s his name?

You first,you are the one making the accusations.He also did the ref’s fitness course,and rehab and always seemed very switched on.

I’m not making any accusations. Plus I’m bound by patient confidentiality – so sorry but I can’t say.

Williams gets 8 weeks rest…

“The disciplinary committee, chaired by Roger Morris (Wales), along with Rhian Williams (Wales) and John Doubleday (England), having viewed footage of the incident and listened to representations made by and on behalf of the player, found that the incident was at the top end of the World Rugby sanctions for this type of offence, meriting a 16-week starting point.

“In the absence of any aggravating factors and in light of several mitigating factors, including the player’s exemplary previous playing record, the disciplinary committee applied an eight-week reduction from the entry point and suspended the player from playing for eight weeks.

“Taking into account the matches remaining this season, and two warm-up matches scheduled for the start of next season, Nick Williams is free to resume playing from Monday, 1 September 2015, and has the right of appeal.”

As the irish posters on here said nothing in it not even a yellow.

😯

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/32169805

North is taking a month off. It’s a start, but nothing like long enough.

Seems a very short length of time to me.

He is going to be reassessed at the end of the month so it may be longer

Mils Muliaina arrested in Gloucester last night for alledged sexual assault in Cardiff a few months ago!

BM
Chiefs v Blues sky sports 3 starting now (7.30) if you want to see Piutau playing at 15

Also Cruden/SBW at 10/12 in opposition – every chance that’s what Johnny and Robbie will need to beat in this year’s final 😉

Do you think SBW will be chosen ahead of Nonu?

Do you think SBW will be chosen ahead of Nonu?

It’s a hard one.

SBW has been consistently excellent since his return from the NRL. Nonu has traditionally been pretty average in Super Rugby but has stepped it up this season from what I’ve seen. Of course his partnership with Conrad Smith has been on of the best ever.

Maybe if Cruden gets the nod at fly-half that’ll mean SBW alongside him. Either way, it’s a good problem to have.

When it came to the crunch – 2011 RWC Final – they went for Nonu.

Roberts did a number on SBW last autumn. It was only when they took SBW off that NZ ran away with it. Roberts sucked him into a head banging dick swinging contest! Having said that I’ve not seen any Super rugby and that was only SBW second game back I think.

anagallis_arvensis – Member

Mils Muliaina arrested in Gloucester last night for alledged sexual assault in Cardiff a few months ago!

He started the game and was appallingly bad. Went off before half time – I assumed that he was injured and that’s why he was playing so poorly. Obviously not.

loum – Member
BM
Chiefs v Blues sky sports 3 starting now (7.30) if you want to see Piutau playing at 15

I watched the Blues game last week and Piutau showed some nice touches, although didn’t get much chance to excel because the Blues are going through their worst series of results in their history. They don’t look good at all this season. Curiously Piutau seemed to spend a lot of time in midfield, despite playing fullback.

Guessing the ABs centre combo won’t be easy.
Playing outside Cruden (if picked) should be a plus for SBW as a working combo, but CSmith and Nonu have that at Hurricanes too – with Barrett, Savea and Jane there also.
And then there’s Fekitoa – playing prob better than all of them – with ASmith at 9 and BSmith at 15 for the Highlanders.
They’ll use all 4, CSmith and Nonu are the tried and trusted, but IMO it’ll need one of Fekitoa or SBW to really take off to win it. More likely Fekitoa.

Anyway, biggest gweekend in european club rugby so far and we’re on about ABs.
Who’s going to win the big Welsh derby for that semi final place.

And will Leinster stop Ford and JJ?

And the English away in France?

I’ll go for 4 home wins in big cup.
And 4 home wins in the other, despite Cardiff being up already.

loum – Member

And then there’s Fekitoa – playing prob better than all of them
Good player, isn’t he.

I’ll go for 4 home wins in big cup.

I’d have to agree – home advantage will surely be too much.

who’s going to win the big Welsh derby for that semi final placeho’s going to win the big Welsh derby for that semi final place.

I fancy the Dregs. Both v poor teams though.

come on leinster, beat the posh ****s!

@loum, yup 4 home wins look likely (Leinster winning against Bath, I admit that I’ve seen that score when making my prediction !)

Heads up to people here I may have 2 spare tickets to the final at Twickenham on May 2 as a mate has double booked himself and has asked me to move his tickets on. I’ll be going but you don’t have to speak to me !

Very close in the end…possibly dodgy penalty going Leinster’s way to win it. Ford created two (and scored one of them) tries, but his game management for the rest of it was average at best. Leinster should have put the game away in the second half with their possession and pressure, but it was a bit like watching Ireland at times…kicked up in the air a bit too much in the second half, when ball in hand may have created more.

Stringer got a great reception when he came on for Bath, which was nice to see. 🙂

Does this mean we don’t have to hear anything from Mike Ford for the rest of the season? Please?

Get involved #bbcrugby
Deadly Darcy: And here comes Burgess. This will be interesting.

Anyone we know?

Anyone we know?

Someone else has nicked my username!!

There can be only one!

😳

From being blocked by Matt Dawson to a mention on the BBC feed…it’s been a rollercoaster of a year. 😆

Northampton in danger of this game running away from them completely. Clermont in total control at the moment.

EDIT: 20-0 down at 32 mins. 😯

Northampton in danger of this game running away from them completely. Clermont in total control at the moment.

Who the hell is reffing this? Has he done it before?

Glad the welsh regions dont have to face that!!

27 nil at half time!

Clermont really can destroy teams at home. Have had to watch Munster getting taken apart a few times there…heroic defeats a plenty.

Ref is Lacey, ex-Munster 😀 fastest ref in the world apparently.

To be fair, nothing is going to help Northampton if they insist on missing nearly twenty tackles in the first half. Watching Clermont is like seeing how France could be if they really wanted to.

Saints humiliated. Fofana, Abendanon and the Clermont 10 are running riot.