Banned: Scott Higginbotham
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Wallabies flanker Scott Higginbotham has been banned for four weeks after being found guilty of punching and striking All Blacks flank Richie McCaw.
The incidents occurred during last Saturday's Bledisloe Cup Test at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, which ended in an 18-18 draw.
Higginbotham will miss out on facing England and France on their end-of-year tour to Europe next month after the ban was imposed at a judicial hearing on Monday.
The soon-to-be Melbourne Rebels forward was charged with both kneeing and headbutting McCaw in the 26th minute of Saturday's match.
Judicial officer Jannie Lubbe said the incidents were of a low level of severity and took into account Higginbotham's previous clean record.
Comments
Trinats2 says...
maoriboy:
Was referring to your level headed, two eyed, unbiased comment. Very rare from a kiwi !!!
Posted 11:06 25th October 2012
Trinats2 says...
nzmaoriboy:
Was referring to your level headed, two eyed, unbiased comment. Very rare from a kiwi !!!
Posted 11:03 25th October 2012
nzmaoriboy says...
@trinats2, Don't know about respect mate! all higginbottom really needed top do was get to the ruck on time..he he..McCaw at ruck FIRST as per normal..then other players..then ref ...ref blows penalty..then higginbottom arrives..late as per usual!! then he met's out his version of "SMASH BASH" after the whistle (clever bugger all right)
Posted 05:09 25th October 2012
Trader2 says...
GoWalesGo
I think I read somewhere here that you are half Scots and half Welsh and it shows in your half baked comment.
Posted 14:13 24th October 2012
GoWalesGo says...
It's amazing how precious the Kiwis get when they feel their king Richie is threatened...
Higginbotham's knee to the head was stupid, but i think he headbutted Richie because he was holding him down to the floor by his neck. Interesting how this has been missed by everybody.
Posted 11:46 24th October 2012
kinsman says...
@Trinats, no hypocrisy. I didn't tar all Australians with the kneeing and headbutting comment, with the jeering and booing I absolutely did. The booing on TV when Carter was kicking or during the haka certainly appeared louder to me however as you were there, I will take your word. Perhaps your reasons for the difference in noise (numbers of kiwis) is symptomatic of the whole malaise with Australian rugby, that people just cant be bothered to turn up.
Regardless, the Australian public do boo kicks and to suggest otherwise would be decidedly untruthful.
As for the Hill, I think that it is representative of the entire Australian sporting public, unlike the single unproven anecdote you keep extolling about one world cup match. !!!
Posted 08:16 24th October 2012
flyman says...
There is no consistency in the sanctions meted out for the different fouls. It should be a sliding scale system "x " games suspensionfor whatever the offence/foul was. A red card should carry an automatic supension of "x" number of games. What about an automatic one game suspension if you get yellow carded. That will stop the cynical fouls committed when teams have their backs to the wall.
Can anyone remember what Bakkies "Thug" Botha got for his head butt during a tackle a few seasons back?
Posted 04:52 24th October 2012
kiwilad says...
To be fair, there was little or nothing in it, but a brain explosion all the same.
Would we even be talking about this or the player poaching if the ABs had won??
Posted 01:41 24th October 2012
Trinats2 says...
Kinsman:
When Harris kicked the first penalty of the game the booing was loudest, but you probably didn't hear it on on TV. So many kiwis in QLD !!!
I agree with the "Hill" at SCG but that's where it ends, on that hill. Unlike a whole country I could mention !!!.
"The Hill at the SCG knows exactly how sporting the Australian sporting public are. When it comes to hypocrisy, you lot are definitely not ranked second!"
" I won't tar the rest of Australians with this brush "
Hypocrisy ???
Posted 23:53 23rd October 2012
kennyisgay says...
Hey George, does your mummy still tie pork chops around your neck?
Posted 22:28 23rd October 2012
Kinsman says...
@three6three6, I won't tar the rest of Australians with this brush but it does say a lot about you that you do not consider kneeing a player in the head and headbutting him unsporting. Regardless, when it comes to booing and jeering, I seemed to hear a lot when Carter was kicking, when the haka took place and seriously, anyone who spent any time near The Hill at the SCG knows exactly how sporting the Australian sporting public are. When it comes to hypocrisy, you lot are definitely not ranked second!
Posted 18:14 23rd October 2012
three6three6 says...
I think that this matter has now been 'kicked' and 'butted' to death.... perhaps it is time to move on!
By the way @Kinsman - the unsporting bit is the continual booing and jeering of a player everytime he receives the ball (e.g. Cooper during the RWC) or is kicking for goal (sadly this behaviour has now become common place in Rugby Union - but of course should have been left at the Association Football ground)
Posted 15:30 23rd October 2012
APV1 says...
@ jonesy2 - that's a bit harsh. What've I done this time?
Posted 11:51 23rd October 2012
7ton says...
pog-mahone
I'll tell you why he annoys players because apart from being great at turnovers he carries the ball well and it is hard and bruising to stop him and then he puts in many crunching tackles. Many players have egos that can't stand it when they are constantly outdone so they either boil over and do something really blatant and stupid or lurk around and wait their opportunity but usually get caught on camera.
And of course he will try and slow the opposition ball down- but who doesn't
Posted 09:40 23rd October 2012
jontheref says...
"and took into account Higginbotham's previous clean record"
he has been a loose cannon since he started playing at test level this season.
Just because he has not been cited before, shows how ludicrous these citing officers are.
He is a good player, but does resort to the cheap shots too quickly.
Joubert bottled it, when he should have red carded him.
Posted 09:21 23rd October 2012
Trinats2 says...
"Funny that all these cheapshots happen when McCaw is trapped with no teammates around."
Rest of his teammates are onside !!!
nzmaoriboy:
respect.
Posted 09:07 23rd October 2012
Ramage says...
Oh well the decision has been made and the punishement delivered. We will always have people saying it is too harsh or too soft.There does need to be some talk in the judiciary that headbutting (effective or not) eye gouging, biting and scrotum pulling have no part in the game and need a zero tolerance penalty no matter which nation the player is from. I like many others believe Higginbottom to be stupid for his cheapshots but lets move on. He has received his punishment and lets stop the baying for blood. What needs to happen is for the judiciary to review their sentencing.
Oh dear Bok avenger boo hoo, boo hoo, your own warped belief that the world picks on the pooor poor bokke players is ridiculous. Of all the foul play it was Greyling who got off the cheapest.Greyling may never see the Bok jersey again if Mr Meyer is a man of his word. This is where the real punishment may lie. So come on Bokavenger your whining is so wrong and out of place as to be patently ridiculous . However we are used to your whining cringing posts because they are so numerous. Tell me have you got a cussie bro in Oz called georgesmith because he too is another whinging cringing writer on here and I wondered whether it ran in the family.
Posted 08:22 23rd October 2012
myhatmycoat says...
If the IRB really wants to remove this aspect of the "game" then make the minimum punishment ferocious - the fear of being without income for 6 months - is bound to stop this kind of skullduggery
Posted 06:53 23rd October 2012
wfgwoody says...
Being a kiwi living in the U.S. I hear things like ex NFL players committing suicide as they have such damage brained from the hits they have taken. And the ones that dont kill themeselve have terrible trouble with memory and function in their 50's. And these blokes wear helmets!!! So when I hear thing like Mccaw was injured and was able to play on. It makes me wounded how sensible that is. Who knows what the long term effects are on the brains of these guys. I think the IRB must make it not even some
Posted 05:18 23rd October 2012
paulynz says...
Decision's made.
Nothing more to see here. Move along please...
Posted 03:28 23rd October 2012