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Tue 15 Jan 2013 | 04:25
Munster's Ronan O'Gara facing ban for deliberate kick on Sean Cox

31
Comments

Munster flyhalf Ronan O'Gara is well known for his kicking ability, but against Edinburgh at the weekend it wasn't only the ball he directed his famous boot at. The Ireland star lashed out at Sean Cox, so will face a disciplinary hearing in Dublin on Thursday.

The Heineken Cup fifth round game was won 26-17 by Munster, but was marred on Monday by the news that O'Gara had been cited for his second half offence. Despite winding O'Gara up with a shoulder block, Edinburgh's Cox was clearly incensed by the kick that sparked a bit of a scuffle.

Cox predicted, via a few choice expletives, that O'Gara will be spending some time out of the game.

Despite being missed by the match officials at the time, the incident was picked up by citing commisioner Alberto Recaldini, who promptly cited the 35-year-old Munster legend. 

He looks likely to be suspended for foul play, which could mean he will miss a significant chunk of Ireland's upcoming Six Nations campaign. They face Wales in Cardiff on February 2nd.

He would also miss Munster's final Heineken Cup pool game, against Racing Metro, at Thomond Park on Sunday. The offence could result in a ban of anything between four weeks and a year. Judge Jeff Blackett will be the one making the decision on Thursday.

In the 2010 Six Nations Ireland's Jerry Flannery kicked Frenchman Alexis Palisson's legs, but later admitted his guilt, saying he was deserving of a red card. He was cited and received a six week suspension. O'Gara has yet to be red carded in the Heineken Cup.

Posted By: Grant Constable

31 Comments

  • drg
    8:17 PM 23/01/2013

    Not that I agree with what he did, but the way all of you guys are labelling him seems like you have a lot of bottled up rage. The second row put in a lazy shoulder and rog tripped him up... Is it illegal? yes. Is it the rugby crime of the century? No... is everyone, making a bit of a mountain out of a molehill? yes...

    For all ROG's short comings, I'd say he's had a pretty lucrative and successful club and international career, also to suggest he goes toe to toe with the big second row is a bit daft. ROG fronted up to Ashton years ago, so I wouldn't say he was a coward, but there is definitely a healthy dose of self preservation. I might think Jamie Cudmore behaves like a bit of a chimp every now and again, but my self preservation would probably keep me away from a 1 on 1 situation with him.

  • mikewill7
    5:46 PM 22/01/2013

    What a prick, too big for even his own ego!!

  • chilldoubt
    6:11 AM 21/01/2013

    That was pure filth form O'Gara. Ok, he was body checked. Does thta give him the right to do what he did? As for the panel saying they accepted he only intended to trip Cox that is almost criminal!
    That was a full blown volley into Cox's leg, not a sly sticking out of the foot.
    And as for one week, that's farcical.
    But then I expect nothing less from a player infamous for his lack of tackling prowess, preferring instead to pull a cheap shot then run and hide like a bitch behind the big boys when it all kicks off.

    Coward, nothing less.

  • blew1
    9:56 PM 18/01/2013

    One week is fair for the actual incident, but I read somewhere they reduced because of O'Gara's (ahem) 'clean record'. How stupid or blind are the IRB? What about the kick to the nuts on Roncero (IRE v ARG) a few years ago? The stamp on Gethin Jenkins' hand after he scored a try for Wales in 2005? The other KICK to thje groin area of an Ospreys' player in the Pro12 semi last year after a legit turnover. ROG is a cheat, a disgrace and a coward but keeps getting away with it and the IRB are not helping by dishing out pathetic 'punishments' like a one week ban!

  • colombes
    1:14 PM 18/01/2013

    one week ban to allow him to play the 6N
    the erc has a great sense of humour, really :)

  • facepalm
    6:47 PM 17/01/2013

    @Conman

    Perhaps you could read the entire comment..

  • lineout
    2:28 PM 17/01/2013

    O' Gara's career (both on and off the pitch) has been marred by such acts of petulance such as this. The Duncan McCrae assualt on him was one time where he copped a horrible beating for such an act although he does seem to get away with it most of the time, Earls certainly came to his rescue on this occassion.

  • conman
    10:45 PM 16/01/2013

    Perhaps if you removed your palm from your face for a second you might see that deliberately kicking an opponent on a rugby field is completely unacceptable! So yea, ROG is 'the bad one' in this case....

  • facepalm
    8:59 PM 16/01/2013

    " Could the o gara haters keep their shitty unreasonable opinions to themselves ?? Looking at it, it shouldn't be an isolated incident where Rog kicked somebody! It was retaliation to a needless off the ball block! Wasn't much in either of them but because cox decided to throw his toys out of the pram and start a boxing match on the ground with earls (wtf was that about) then. Whole big deal is made of it and Rog is made out to be the bad one! It's ridiculous"

    Gotta' love the endless source of wisdom that is the RugbyDump facebook page...

  • ronan
    8:56 PM 16/01/2013

    what a tool!!!
    what a cheapshot!!!!
    gobshite!!!
    and what was earls at diving on top of cox on the ground???
    maybee he saved ogaras life :)
    cox done what every professional player does, he stood his ground and made a nuisance of himself, happens in every game, just look at his team mate donnacha o'callaghan, best in the game at it....
    far from a shoulder charge lads...
    4 weeks son.....
    would love to see kidney retire with him, sick of his stale rugby....

  • conman
    7:26 PM 16/01/2013

    He's been cited for deliberately kicking an opponent, which has a low end entry point of 4 weeks and mid-level entry point of 8 weeks. So presuming he can't deny his guilt and given his previous record he's probably due 1/2 weeks reduction, so looking at either 2/3 weeks or 6/7 weeks depending on what view the panel takes.

    The grey area is whether it's viewed as more of a foot trip (low end) or he used an amount of force in a kick (mid-level). For me, it's borderline so I'd probably go low end provided it was acommpanied by the appropriate remorse.

  • reality
    7:23 PM 16/01/2013

    I don't understand the pro-O'Gara bias here from some people.

    Cox was running for the ball, it was kicked through, and their paths crossed. He just braced himself for the impact. Maybe he braced a bit too much, but there's nothing in it.

    And it doesn't matter if O'Gara's kick didn't do too much damage. I think the idea of kicking someone in the legs when his back is turned is one of those things that just has no place on the pitch, in spite of the minimal amount of damage caused. Pulling someone's hair doesn't do too much damage either, but it's obviously completely unacceptable. Throw the book at him, I say.

  • matt
    6:12 PM 16/01/2013

    I've said before that people should be banned for the action, and then have time added on if their record is bad, not reduced if theyve been previously good, and I think I'll stick with it here even though this incident posed slightly less danger to the big man than getting dressed in the morning.
    It does seem harsh to me that no one is at all concerned with the much larger man deliberately blocking, and with his shoulder, a much smaller man who wasnt looking, yet ROG is the one branded a coward.
    Having said that, the less strength in depth Ireland have for the 6N the better for england.

  • dangerwombat
    5:58 PM 16/01/2013

    "Enjoy your F***ing time off" - Awesome

  • paimoe
    4:31 PM 16/01/2013

    ouch

  • 3:16 PM 16/01/2013

    Hey ROG fans take off the blinkers. It was a blatant kick following a pathetic shoulder block - you can almost say he was standing his ground. It wasn't a "charge". Cox didn't even knock him over - if he really wanted to he would have.

    It was a good job the Munster boy jumped on Cox when he was on the deck otherwise O'Gara was on the receiving end of good kicking.

  • guy
    3:11 PM 16/01/2013

    Agree with Derry: it's not a trip, it's a kick! Should be punished properly. Nobody likes that kind of behaviour. It reminds us too much of soccer.

  • themull
    2:37 PM 16/01/2013

    Not even on the same level as the Flannery kick, nor would I say it's worse than a straight up punch to the face...it's more or less a trip and given is excellent disciplinary record, particularly in the HC (never cited before nor red carded) I don't think this warrants any sort of a ban at all...I would said yellow i it had of been spotted at the time...I would have also said yellow for the obstruction..I would have also said yellow for the blatant shoulder charge obstrution, but maybe a penalty here would have sufficed..

    He has been cited though and it's almost certain that some sort of ban will be handed out..Hopefully the board sees sense and makes it a minimal one..

  • connachtman
    1:07 PM 16/01/2013

    ROG is a whiny plonker, time to draw an end to his International career regardless, madigan, sexton more than capable, personally as an Irish fan I wont miss him.

  • 12:14 PM 16/01/2013

    Really disappointing stuff! Why is rugby going down that way? Too much games, too much money, too much pressure? I'm not sure...

    From my experience as player I can understand ROG being frustrated by the shoulder block, nevertheless a very childish reaction i din't expect on a rugby pitch!


  • lucius
    12:12 PM 16/01/2013

    Bye bye Nations

  • colombes
    12:11 PM 16/01/2013

    cheap shot which could cost him the end of his rich international times...

  • 12:03 PM 16/01/2013

    "Enjoy your F***ing time off!" Ha, classic! Textbook backrower running the usual interfearance/messing up the oposing team's lines and someone lashing out. It's a win/win situation for him, really. O'gara, with all his club and international experience, should know better. Ok, granted ROG was never known to put up something even related to a tackle, let alone "sort someone off with a hit", but this reaction is just stupid. Why in the hell would he risk getting sent off and banned just to "kick Sean in the Cox"?

  • smiffy_ref
    12:02 PM 16/01/2013

    Stupid thing for him to do, especially so close to the Six Nations campaign. However clearly foul play, so I would imagine a ban of between 6 and 10 weeks, something tells me he won't be taking part in this years competition!

  • 07015678
    10:53 AM 16/01/2013

    ROG has never been one to make the coolest decisions without the ball in hand. Silly boy will may have just drawn his Ireland career to a close there.

    On a seperate note, I do like the fact that on the rugby field rugby players do have a proper go and give the opposition a good smack, unlike the pathetic antics you see in football. Unfortunately we are starting to see play acting to the ref too often now.

  • gprado
    10:40 AM 16/01/2013

    sad to see how rugby is becoming little by little in a cowards game!

  • darabman
    1:57 AM 16/01/2013

    Pissy little footballer's kick!

  • 1:57 AM 16/01/2013

    CHEAP! Typical action from a man not capable of doing anything on the rugby field with anything but his foot.

  • danknapp
    11:54 PM 15/01/2013

    Pathetic, cowardly thing to do. If you're that pissed off, square up to them. I'd understand a punch that the guy could see coming. That was the sort of crap you expect from footballers.

  • 11:50 PM 15/01/2013

    Daft thing to do, particularly at this time of the year.

    From what I've seen it's not typical behaviour from him either. I have seen him get really wound and hit out at Mike Phillips in a couple of matches though, I do get the feeling that Phillips goes out of his way to wind him up though.

  • johndoe
    11:41 PM 15/01/2013

    Bad for Munster I guess, but I'm happy to see Kidney not having the option of playing ROG and being forced to move on.

    Stupid kick by ROG. I know people will be saying the shoulder block should have been picked up but it happens so, so much in every game and maybe one or two, if even, are picked up on by the ref. O'Gara should have this kind of temper problem sorted at his age. He should be used to wind ups and that was a relatively easy one.

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