Suspended: Andrew Hore
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New Zealand hooker Andrew Hore has been given a five-week suspension for striking Wales lock Bradley Davies last Saturday in Cardiff.
Hore was originally handed an eight-week suspension but had three weeks knocked off for his exemplary disciplinary record, good conduct at the hearing and genuine remorse over the incident.
Davies was forced to leave the field and sent to hospital following the blindside shot, with both fans and the media widely condemning Hore for his actions.
The ban means Hore will be unable to play again until 24 February 2013, meaning he will miss this weekend's Test against England at Twickenham along with all of the Highlanders pre-season matches and the first clash of the new Super Rugby season.
"I want to say how bad I feel and how embarrassed I am to be in this situation," Hore told the New Zealand Herald.
"It is not the All Black way and I have let myself down and the team and probably the whole country is pretty proud of what we do.
"I hope Bradley Davies does recover and get back up and running and play in the Heineken Cup as soon as he can.
"I have been on the phone and talked to him on Sunday about the incident and obviously the All Black management and the leader group that I am a part of has been pretty stern on me for getting us into this situation and I have to take what I have got and go back and start building a reputation as a good, clean, hard footy player and hopefully I can do that in the next Super Rugby competition when I get back playing."
Comments
ArmchairGeneral says...
I would be crying for more weeks as it was a shocker, but i think he did not intend to knock him out but rather hurt him to teach him to stay on side.
Posted 21:26 28th November 2012
davodiablo says...
Martin Johnson 1997 vs ABs at Old Trafford punched Justin Marshall in the head from behind about 20 metres from the ball . He got 1 week ban missing the game against SA and was back two weeks later to play ABs at Twickenham .
Posted 21:23 28th November 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
How about where the foul play effects the openent through injury to the extent that he is removed from the feild of play as in this case then the ban is served in games against that team? So Hore is banned for the next 5 NZ v Wales games. On top of the 5 week ban. Repayment to Wales as well as punishment for offence.
Posted 21:17 28th November 2012
Eejbm says...
If I did this in a pub I'd get jail time. One punch can kill.
Posted 21:03 28th November 2012
Euskadi says...
The initial 8 week ban was what I predicted, the maximum for such a strike.
I'm not sure about the deductions for good record etc, genuine remorse then fair enough but IMO a sanction should not be reduced because the guy hasn't done it/something else before. You do the crime you do the time
@ Spike19 + Jose Jones - grin on his face? Are you talking about the photo in the article? Very unlikely that that particular pic was snapped of Hore after the judicial hearing. He'd be wearing a suit and tie for one thing and wouldn't have a training bag strapped over his shoulder. Did you guys hear that Kim Jong-Un is the worlds sexiest man?
Posted 20:44 28th November 2012
mfblions says...
should have been 10 weeks, All Black always get away easy!!!
Posted 20:01 28th November 2012
Chubbylugs says...
Sex panther aftershave - 60% of the time, it works everytime. Great tache!
Posted 19:33 28th November 2012
kiwilad says...
Should start the sparkling career of a new 2 in a black shirt, watch this space.
Hore got a fair punishment, but others this year have got off lightly.
As an aside, is it not a natural progression, Hore has gone from shooting Seals to Clubbing Wales??? lol
Posted 19:32 28th November 2012
PontySurrey says...
I guess all we can hope for is that everyone on this post will be as level-headed if a key NZ forward is wiped out on Saturday..........
Posted 19:31 28th November 2012
Stellenbosched2 says...
As a Bok supporter I am very worried. If the iRB threw the book at Hore, then we can all wait for the library to be thrown at the next Bok who poses a threat to England. They tried very hard to nail Etzebeth.
Posted 19:12 28th November 2012
malkhut10 says...
I'm just a little fed up with the occasional jibes at 'the Welsh' when this incident is not about Wales, or NZ, but about rugby. The majority of posters are disgusted by the deliberate assault because it shames rugby. And the majority of Welsh supporters were equally ashamed at what BD did against Ireland. Had Hore got a red card Wales would still have lost because NZ would have adjusted their patterns. Welsh supporters would acknowledge that. A shameful act that has been dealt with, and now it's time to move on.
Posted 19:12 28th November 2012
scrumdog says...
Two experienced All Blacks, Thompson and Hore, knowing this was their last tour, couldn't show the discipline to restrain themselves and brought shame to a fantastic rugby team. They wont be received too well in the Land of the Long White Cloud!
Posted 18:56 28th November 2012
porridge_time says...
Five weeks is about right in my opinion. It was a reckless clear and deserves the ban, but some of the comments from the UK media is appalling and spiteful.
Posted 18:51 28th November 2012
RugbyLocos says...
For those of you that have been harping on about the welsh ¨whinging¨ and comparing this incident with others, I have to say that you are very much mistaken. Anyone who has played, or follows rugby appreciates that punches are thrown; players receive dangerous tackles etc, but this is mostly in the heat of the moment, or sometimes a genuine accident / mis-judgement.
However, what Hore did was clearly pre-meditated, cowardly and under-hand. You only had to see the smirk on his face afterwards to appreciate that he was pleased with the outcome of his actions. None of the Welsh fans will ¨whinge¨ about a punch being thrown, as long as it is a ¨fair contest¨ - what makes this case worse is the manner in which it occurred. Nothing more and nothing less !!!
By the way, eye gouging offences such as that of Rougerie should attract at least a year ban, in my opinion. This should never be tollerated.
Posted 18:45 28th November 2012
paulynz says...
The citing committee finally seems to have got one of these right. Jeez they've had enough goes at it lately!!
5 weeks seems about right.
Nothing more to see here. Move along please...
Posted 18:10 28th November 2012
Isograford says...
@jmanngod Well said. Davies himself tried his best to paralyze an Irish player in the Six Nations and it was far more deliberate than this incident.
Lots of high horses being ridden around this last week, especially from the Welsh. Pot. Kettle. Black.
Posted 18:01 28th November 2012
jmanngod says...
That is about the correct punishment for his clumsiness. Now it can be put to bed... along with Wales' sense of injustice and victimisation
Posted 17:51 28th November 2012
2rlock4 says...
Absolute disgrace!!! I pride myself in being a rugby fan and how we deal with foul play on the field at the professional level. But this decision makes me ashamed to be such an avid fan.
Someone who smacks someone else from behind knocks them out and sends them to hospital all on purpose should not only get a 5 week ban. It should be the maximum we had give for such a crime. Personally if I was a coach I would never play him again as I would be ashamed to have such a player who would do such a vile act in my team.
We need two things to happen, one stricter punishments from the citing committee and 2, forth official to be able to call back play for foul play like assistant referees can.
Posted 17:40 28th November 2012
carpelone says...
Amen.
We all can (could, sigh) do sometimes something on the pitch which we bitterly regret afterwards.
Adrenaline obnubilates even the wisest man.
Violence was not condoned and this is important.
For all the bigots here, it is impossible to show any remorse on the pitch (he looked quite satisfied with his blow, actually) when all your teammates shout to you "Well done", no matter what you have just done.
Let's move on.
Posted 17:36 28th November 2012
chisel68 says...
King hit, off the ball, while he was coming back onside. Not tackled into the ruck. King hit. Knocked out. Taken to hospital.
Hore is lucky he only got 5.
This isn't the ABs of old, but the new. The ABs of old would've got away with it.
Posted 17:17 28th November 2012