Suspended: Cian Healy
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Ireland prop Cian Healy has been banned until March 10 for stamping on Dan Cole's ankle during Sunday's defeat to England.
The 25-year-old will now miss the Six Nations trip to Scotland on 24 February and the home game against France on 9 March after being handed the suspension at a disciplinary hearing in London on Wednesday.
Healy trod on Cole's ankle after an Ireland maul had collapsed in an incident which was missed by referee Jerome Garces.
Although he was handed a three-week sentence, in effect the Leinster loosehead will serve a four-week ban since his suspension does not date from last Sunday's clash in Dublin, but only begins this weekend.
The Six Nations Disciplinary Committee decided that the player would not have played for his province this weekend and that the suspension will end at midnight on Sunday, March 10.
Comments
heathy says...
@99call - You haven't played rugby have you? Let's make this absolutely clear so you can try to understand. IF a player is on the wrong side of a ruck he deserves to get a rake down his back, fingers, arse or where ever, apart from his head. A player is NOT allowed to bring down a foot, knee, punch which will intently injure a player. It's in the blinking laws of the game and quite rightly so. Look it all up. This was dangerous and with intent to injure. I think we are all clear on that and so Healy should be cited and punished. Cole was on the wrong side. We all agree. He didn¿t stop the ball from coming out (watch the replays!). He should have possibly got a raking maybe. No one would complain there and nor would Cole. It happens all the time and does not get a citing so that argument is pointless. Watch a few games kid.I completely understand that with other offences players have had differing sentences for different acts and it doesn't make any of them right. This is why we are all scathing about the disciplinary panel being a joke. Follow the thread matey and don't be a complete tool.
Posted 12:10 14th February 2013
lawynd says...
@99call - you still don't get it, do you. Stamping is not and never has been allowed, no matter what mitigating circumstances you or MunsterRedArmy think there are. It wasn't 'standing' on Cole, he STAMPED. You do understand the different meaning of those two words, don't you? Idiot.
Posted 12:02 14th February 2013
TVaddict says...
Four weeks was the minimum I'd of excepted and it's basically four weeks, so that's that.
@MunsterRedArmy, 99call
Wow guys, you are idiots. If Irish players got stamped on for infringing at rucks your national team would now consist of nothing more than a hazy bit of paste! Don't be so hypocritical.
Posted 12:01 14th February 2013
griffi60 says...
@makemehappy - "very lucky to be available for the lions", so what you think he should have been banned for 6 months? Are you mental?! It was a stamp clearly driven out of frustration and him being too wound up for a big match. Ok it was dangerous but Cole is not injured and stamping happens every single match. I actually think 3 weeks is harsh, and anything longer should be for the kind of dispicable things that Hartley does, I.e. gouging, biting etc.
Posted 11:37 14th February 2013
madmax says...
No sympathy for Healy, great player but turning a bit thuggish. As an over-the-hill ex player myself I learnt the following over the years;
1. Do not take the aw into your own hands as Healy did trying to stamp/ruck Cole away (those days as loooong gone)
2. When rucking was still allowed it was on the back or legs - never head or joints - this is common sense really
3. Healy was lucky with only 4 weeks as he had 2 very clear cynical acts in succession - first the stamping followed immediately by an elbow on a defenseless player's throat
IRB still not consistent across the board in terms of bans for related offenses though
Posted 11:08 14th February 2013
rugby_rockstar says...
Damn! I was on fire with my predictions about this. :)
Seriously though, its a great message to send to every country in the NH and SH. Keep the consistancy going IRB.
Posted 10:21 14th February 2013
99call says...
So you get 3 weeks for stamping on a players leg who was cheating but youll get 2 weeks for punching if your Hartley with one of the worst disciplinary records Ive seen with biting and gouging and youre actually allowed to play rugby again if you dilberatley break someones arm at the elbow which if you did on the street on a friday night youd go to jail for
Theres something not quite right there
If you are going to ban a player every time he stands on someones arm or leg when theyre cheating we're all going to need a sting of back up scrumhalfs as each one will do it half a dozen times in a match so they can expect to be cited after every game??????
The thing thats makes me really annoyed is that when the handbags started after the incident Cole gets up doesnt get involved, walks away as hes knows what hes done and would have done the same thing as Healy had the boot been on the the other leg, pardon the pun.
I really believe that this is going to cause problems in the future in a similar way to the Warburtin tip tackle, the next time someone uses their foot to clear a stray hand or foot off the ball we'll all be asking if hes going to get cited and banned in the same way as we saw some refs giving yellow cards for tip tackles instead of red
We're not playing football here if youre on the wrong side and intentionally cheating you deserve what you get
Posted 10:18 14th February 2013
ronanmeagher says...
Sounds about right, although the duration thing is a farce.......just make it a 3 game ban.
@BackingLeinster - ditto, talk about confusing things and leaving themselves open for an appeal........unless that was the intention
Posted 09:15 14th February 2013
Stellenbosched2 says...
I reckon if you want to stop foul play why not yellow card the captain during the game, or ban him if a citing is given after play? The guilty player will feel terrible, which is a worse punishment to me.
Posted 05:44 14th February 2013
MunsterRedArmy says...
Reviewing the video of the stomping again and I am not changing my mind, Cole was intentionally trying to slow down the ball and Cian acted like any other scrum half would want their scrum players to act! It might seem brutal but Cole could take down his foot, roll on his back to make the way, notice that only his left hand is ''stuck'' and even that is a big IF. He didn't even think about rolling away.
Posted 23:38 13th February 2013
NHsaints says...
sounds about right, he's not generally dirty and he'll essentially be out for 4 weeks. He needn't worry though, he's already got the Lions 1 shirt (unless gatland decides to ride the crazy train down to australia).
Posted 23:24 13th February 2013
jamesliveinhope says...
"trod"?????? did he also "gently rest his arm" on a prone player later in the half "several times in quick succession"
Posted 22:38 13th February 2013
Facec says...
All rugby players know you deserve a shoe-ing if you're on the wrong side but similarly all rugby players know you dont do it on someones joints or head. I think he was lucky to get such a short ban.
Posted 21:55 13th February 2013
ABlack says...
Good player this Healy, he was injured against the AB's last June and guts it out n the 3rd test especially
Posted 21:24 13th February 2013
Michtymauler says...
It was a ridiculous thing for him to do! I can't stand cowardly acts when a player is lying on the deck and can't even see who's attacking him. Had it done to myself over the years. It's not nice and you've just hope you deck the right guy when you manage to get to your feet!! Lol
Which brings me to another point. I was embarrassed several times last weekend by opponents holding on to each other and glaring nastily at each other. I had to explain to an uneducated friend why they just weren't giving each other a sporting-like slap on the cheek with clenched fists. I think the IRB have to discuss this and allow a punch up without penalising if it's a fair, face to face square go!!! It's damaging the reputation of the game!!! ;-)
However as I said, quite right with the discipline handed out to healy and sikilar sneaky stuff!
Posted 21:03 13th February 2013
papachinzo says...
Glad, he needed a rest anyways. The way the IRFU is run these days, It wouldn't surprise me if he did it just to get a few weeks off... :P
@BackingLeinster That would be hilarious, if Leinster played him this weekend !!
Posted 20:34 13th February 2013
Noshonmescrote says...
He's lucky... I got gifted tickets for the England game, and finally broke my Kidney Embargo that's been going for 3 years. I've now banned myself from attending even on freebies until he and O'Gara are riding the donkey they rode in on off into the sunset.
Posted 19:00 13th February 2013
pierredelot1 says...
So thats alright then.
Posted 19:00 13th February 2013
heart_of_oak says...
Errrr is it 3 or is it 4 ? I guessed 4 and I reckon it's me on a roll and not you rugby_rockstar !
Posted 18:50 13th February 2013
melkdave says...
A 4 week ban in reality sounds about right,it has certainally hurt Irelands chances in the 6Ns ,thats for sure.The quicker we can get rid of this type of play the better.Though ill admit theres very litle you can do if a player loses it for a mad moment.But then its why we have bans ect,to make them think,and hopefully not commit such crass things.or if they do to make sure it hurts them and their team.
Posted 18:48 13th February 2013