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Mon 27 Jul 2015 | 08:48
Michael Hooper cited for off the ball punch against Argentina

32
Comments

Wallaby Michael Hooper has been cited for striking following an off the ball incident during Australia's 34-9 Rugby Championship second round victory over Argentina in Mendoza. Hooper will appear before a SANZAR disciplinary hearing on Wednesday this week.

Hooper played provider as lock Dean Mumm went in for a try in the second half, but while in support he was held back by flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez.

As you can see in the footage, Hooper lashed out, making contact with Sanchez, who dropped and needed to be treated for a few minutes after the try.

It wasn't spotted by referee Jaco Peyper or the other officials, so the try stood and Hooper played on. Post match, following initial consideration by the SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Chris Morris, Hooper was cited and will appear at a SANZAR Judicial Hearing, charged with commiting foul play.

Hooper is alleged to have contravened Law 10.4 (a) Punching or striking: A player must not strike an opponent with the fist or arm, including the elbow, shoulder, head or knee(s).

The Judicial Officer will be Nigel Hampton QC which will be held by video conference on Wednesday 29 July at 5:00pm AEST, 7:00pm NZST, 4:00am ART and 9:00am SAST.

While some may feel that street justice is permitted when players get held back illegally, taking the law into your own hands is not allowed. Hooper is likely to receive a significant ban.

UPDATE: The hearing has been adjourned until Thursday 30 July 2015

Michael Hooper strikes Nicolas Sanchez off the ball

Michael Hooper strike on Nicolas Sanchez

Posted by Great Rugby Videos on Monday, July 27, 2015

Note: If the above video doesn't work for you, you can see another version here, with comments from Phil Waugh

Posted By: Grant Constable

32 Comments

  • stroudos
    3:05 PM 30/07/2015

    @RD - can you introduce some new functionality on the site? I really want to be able to actively "dislike" Canadian Content's comment.

  • drg
    8:51 PM 29/07/2015

    Ok, so this is a lil shirt tug... when does a shirt tug become a big one? Are you allowed to react to a big tug? Are big tugs to be penalised?

    Are small punches ok? Or small slaps? Or small brushes of hands on face? When do they become 'not allowed'?

    Just wondering seeing as we're clearly drawing lines in the sand here about what is acceptable and what isn't..

  • finedisregard
    1:02 PM 29/07/2015

    When was the "age of rugby hooliganism" 1823-2000? It's not rugby hooliganism, it is rugby. There has always been a self-regulatory aspect to the game.

    Players will cheat unless they are stopped. Refs never stop this stuff so it is up to the players.

    You must be new to the sport.

  • 2:21 AM 29/07/2015

    Yeah let's bring back the age of rugby hooliganism, that'll grow the game

  • 2:19 AM 29/07/2015

    Lil shirt tug, big deal. Hoopers a hot head but just made cheikas selection coices easier

  • bloblabli
    12:06 AM 29/07/2015

    so if a team plays dirty you are allowed to do the same? Skelton needs to calm the fuck down he tries to hard to be a bully. he has and he will get in trouble, you don't want this kind of liability in your team. As for the open hand how can you tell? the way sanchez heavily goes down suggest the opposite.

  • armchairref
    10:32 PM 28/07/2015

    That Sanchez was falling over and doing the old dying swan number all night long. Not good to see at all.

  • flanker2712
    3:51 PM 28/07/2015

    I clicked on the "View Video" link expecting to see Stroudos fuming silently for 5 minutes.

    #disappointed

  • drg
    12:36 PM 28/07/2015

    Did for me, very good!

  • drg
    12:32 PM 28/07/2015

    But you said "Wallaby haters"... Dan maybe able to enlighten us better on the English side of things, but as far as I'm aware, the s denotes a plural, meaning more than one..

    :D

  • drg
    12:31 PM 28/07/2015

    ....There is a bit of separation between the C and the H on my keyboard, and even on the phone there is a slight gap that is perhaps slightly too big to blame my fingers for..

    Predictive?!?!? *clutching at straws..*

  • drg
    12:25 PM 28/07/2015

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7tRAquZNrA

    That is the only thing that I'd say comes close and:
    1) Look how ridiculous it is.
    2) Look how long it took.
    3) Take note that the referee didn't see it!!

  • drg
    11:59 AM 28/07/2015

    I agree with your comment, but Richie McCaw also has the added bonus of 14 other guys around him that know how to play rugby to a near 100% winning record. I'm not suggesting Australia don't have that talent, but they've not had anywhere near the success rate the All Blacks have had (maybe discipline is the reason..) however if McCaw doesn't react and it just slows down their ball, chances are they'll create something from nothing... If someone tugs on Parisse's shirt as he's running for a possible try with Italy, you can hardly blame him for turning round and smiting someone, as it'd probably be Italys only chance and something they wouldn't be able to fix in the next phase..

    Basically the conclusion I'm drawing towards is the a-hole that is pulling the shirt should always be flagged up and punished.

  • stroudos
    11:11 AM 28/07/2015

    Totally with you Jon.

    If I were the citing commissioner, I'd exonerate Hooper and ban the cheating Argentinian player under the simulation law, which I'd have brought in as part of my other role as head of making up new laws, and which would attract a minimum two months ban and being forced to play your first game post-ban with your willy hanging out.

  • jimmy23
    9:06 AM 28/07/2015

    Agreed, didn't like Sanchez's overreaction on the ground. You might be right, but to be honest with quality of the video I don't think you can determine whether it was 100% a closed fist or not. Whichever it was, he did with some vigour to make Sanchez's head snap forward like that. Don't get me wrong, he had every right to retaliate, but I think targeting the head was wrong move.

  • finedisregard
    3:43 AM 28/07/2015

    How many times have you seen an official deal with it? I don't know if I've ever seen a ref bring back play for a player illegally holding another back.

    Hooper did the only thing he could, other than be completely negated.

    The way I see it, one player is trying to play rugby and another is trying to prevent him from playing.

  • tomthusiasm
    2:21 AM 28/07/2015

    Nothing more than a love tap, it would be a shame to ban him from Bledisloe, I want to see the ABs play the wallabies with their best team on the field.

  • stroudos
    10:44 PM 27/07/2015

    (Just after 7 mins if that Fawlty Towers thing doesn't start automatically at the right place)

  • stroudos
    10:42 PM 27/07/2015

    Absolutely nothing in this. Rugby needs to very urgently bring in a "simulation" offence and levy very long bans on cheating scum like this guy, rolling about on the ground like he'd been shot. I don't like it in football, but in a physical game like rugby this type of crying wolf could be very dangerous indeed. Needs to be eradicated from the game.

    What Hooper did here is no more than "a clip round the ear", as it used to be known. Cf. Basil Fawlty with that spoilt little bastard in the Gourmet Night episode:
    https://youtu.be/ZpXIbwZ_BdA?t=7m8s

    I very nearly meted out the same punishment myself only today, when some prick on a bike rode up the pavement behind me (walking) and rang his bell. I think a swinging arm at that knobhead would have been perfectly reasonable. (I actually just fumed silently to myself for the next five minutes).

  • stroudos
    10:28 PM 27/07/2015

    *Hooper. Although the point probably applies to Cooper too.

    Completely agree with your comment, well put.

  • jimmy23
    9:57 PM 27/07/2015

    Yes, okay, you caught me out. There is one comment that relates to what you were talking about, so therefore this entire page is full of 'Wallaby haters'.

  • jimmy23
    8:41 PM 27/07/2015

    *To live under

  • jimmy23
    8:41 PM 27/07/2015

    Care to point out the 'Wallaby hater" comments? Or are we needing to find a bridge for you to build under?

  • reality
    8:31 PM 27/07/2015

    Tegid, you say he should have let the officials deal with it, but there is no way in hell the officials were going to deal with that.

    It's like rucking. Back when you risked being rucked you made sure to get out of the way. Now that there's no risk people are always on the wrong side. If you pull someone's jersey and get a smack in the head then you're not going to do it next time. It's self-policing.

  • jamiepugh
    8:12 PM 27/07/2015

    I don't think Hooper should have retaliated... But i do think Sanchez made a footballesque meal of it... he rolls about 3 times. I thought it was poor on both parts: if you're hit that hard, you go down... the rolls suggest some form of duplicity on Sanchez's part.

  • whiteafrican
    5:25 PM 27/07/2015

    If you want to know what Hooper should have done, ask yourself, "Would Richie McCaw have done that?" Despite endless provocation, elbows to the face (Greyling and Hartley) knees to the head (Cooper) and eye-gouging (Rougerie) you never see Richie hit another player (Piet van Zyl obviously doesn't count in that respect). Why doesn't Richie hit back? Because he's a saint? Hardly. But he's easily the most self-disciplined individual on the pitch, because that's what it takes to win. That's what Hooper (or any international captain) should aspire to be.

  • drg
    4:54 PM 27/07/2015

    Queue jokes about hoping Cooper gets a long ban to keep him out the world cup...

    Jokes aside though, I'd hate to see him not play, as it'd signal a lesser wallaby side and although we all want to win, I'd rather see my bunch play against a worthwhile Aussie side (and other nations). So onto the situation, I'm sick to death of seeing players being held onto and held back around the pitch... It's not a big deal in reality but it's cynical play and depending on the player it can equal an unpleasant scene... I think more needs to be done towards this and until referees penalise these things or are notified then these reactions will continue..

    The Argie player was certainly after an Oscar or a football signing with his reaction... I better open or closed fist it hurt, but you don't roll around like that!

    I'd say kick the Argie in the area and just tell Hooper off...

    ....you don't ban cars and trucks just because some w****r decides to end it all by stepping in front of one..

  • oldflyhalf
    4:52 PM 27/07/2015

    Cheika, a ruffian, no doubt, in my opinion. Hooper's reaction was not a surprise to me.
    `tahs and "the new" Wallabies have the same behavior as their coach.

  • colombes
    3:31 PM 27/07/2015

    More on more annoying cases of players holding back others in order to delay a support and gain a penatly for retaliation.
    Up to the IRB to figure out this fashion or up to commissions to sanction it with consistency.

    I remember for example Nyanga holding back Sean O'Brien and receiving a severe swinging arm in the face during a Hcup semi final in Dublin. Both werent penalised or cited.

  • tegid13
    12:35 PM 27/07/2015

    I can't believe some of your comments. A heavy strike to the head like the one in the video is not on and is disgusting; Hooper should receive a lengthy ban for such an offence. If the Argentinian held him back illegally, let the officials deal with it. That sort of retaliation is wrong, and NO, he didn't have the right to hit him like that. It is ludicrous if you think otherwise. How can you claim that Argentina's tactics warrants a retaliation of that extent? Fair enough, you can say it was "heat of the moment", but that still doesn't make it right, or take anything away from the fact he hit the other player with an intent to hurt him.

  • jamiepugh
    11:24 AM 27/07/2015

    Looked like it was open handed (though rather vigorous) to me. Nonetheless, it was stupid.

    Sanchez also makes the most of it. Watch him rolling around like a footballer afterwards.

  • jimmy23
    11:20 AM 27/07/2015

    Well, holding on to someone's jersey is illegal and very annoying but it's hardly an uncommon occurrence in the game. So yes, he had the right to retaliate, but he's been in the game long enough to know that a haymaker to the face for that is a bit much.

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