Thu 18 Feb 2016 | 03:53
Yoann Maestri only warned for this off the ball shoulder on Johnny Sexton

19
Comments

Second rower Yoann Maestri was issued with a Citing Commissioner warning following this off the ball bump on Johnny Sexton during France's 10-9 victory over Ireland in Paris on Saturday. Sexton played on but was visibly shaken and needed a moment.

Wide angle TV replays picked up the incident but as was insinuated by the BBC commentary, the French producers weren't too keen on showing anything else.

The independent citing commissioner reported that Maestri has used his shoulder when making contact with Leinster flyhalf Sexton, resulting in him being knocked off his feet.

The commissioner concluded that the 120kg Maestri had infringed World Rugby's laws of the game but his actions fell 'just short of' warranting a red card.

Therefore he is free to play in France's next Six Nations match, against Wales next Friday.

When a player receives three yellow cards and/or Citing Commissioner Warnings in matches during the championship, that will give rise to a 'totting up' case, to be heard by a Disciplinary Committee.

The Disciplinary Committee will consider whether the player is able to demonstrate that one or more of the yellow cards/Citing Commissioner Warnings were wrongly issued to him, and (if the player is not able to demonstrate such matters) what sanctions should be imposed.

Do you think Maestri got off lightly, or was there nothing in this?

19 Comments

  • drg
    12:33 AM 23/02/2016

    ..

  • eddie-g
    6:35 PM 22/02/2016

    I think he's a bit lucky. Mainly because the citing guys tend to over-compensate on incidents which aren't dealt with at the time. Could have been a yellow, they even suggest it wasn't far from being a red-card offence, that's been enough in the past for a ban.

    Anyway, if there is consistency in process (ha ha, like we'll ever see that), then fair enough on this decision.

  • danknapp
    6:08 PM 22/02/2016

    .

  • eddie-g
    6:06 PM 22/02/2016

    Sorry, what's the ref done wrong here?

    A reason we have these independent citing guys is precisely because no-one expects refs to see everything.

  • drg
    5:31 PM 22/02/2016

    ..........no...

  • oliver
    10:17 AM 22/02/2016

    Yes. But we did not even get that for O'Brien and Pape....

    By the way, do you always have to have the last word?

  • drg
    9:19 AM 22/02/2016

    Wide angle replay...

  • oliver
    8:08 AM 22/02/2016

    My comment was aimed at the BBC rather than RD.

    French producers did show a replay, English producers didn't. And that's "fact".

  • danknapp
    9:57 PM 21/02/2016

    We also call it 'Le Crunch', you don't need to translate it to 'the Crunch' :)

  • drg
    10:18 PM 20/02/2016

    Mate, the statement by RD could be taken as fact, your statement doesn't disprove anything, all it does is highlight how producers often favour the home side...

  • oliver
    11:22 AM 20/02/2016

    " insinuated by the BBC commentary, the French producers weren't too keen on showing anything else."

    that's rich. Whereas, when Sean O'Brien fully punched Pape just a few months ago in the WC we only saw it the following day! No replay and no penalty then...

  • drg
    12:39 AM 20/02/2016

    Number 2 is correct in my view.

    If a player for instance punches another player and gets a yellow on field, then the resulting judgement is a ban, then it is my view that the on field punishment was incorrect.

    To me a ban can only mean one thing; that the on field punishment SHOULD be a red card. It annoys me to no end when I see an incident reviewed, the referee issues a yellow card, then a player is subsequently banned. As you mentioned above, this to me says the the referees are making the wrong decisions.

    I'm glad this incident only resulted in a warning. I think a yellow card would be the maximum punishment.

  • hedderball
    12:15 AM 19/02/2016

    definite yellow - tmo and peyper deserving of a suspension more than maestri though. ref was bad throughout imo. thought guirado tackle was bad too - also worthy of a yellow. not sure why tmo missed it. must have turned over to watch another channel?

  • luc
    11:21 PM 18/02/2016

    Um, yeah, care to explain what you mean by that?

    I personally think that in big occasions Craig Joubert tends to not be up to the task, because he is disproportionately biased towards the favourites whenever he's under pressure. It's the only one I've consistently seen performing poorly in final stages of big competitions.

    Is that what you think of him as well? What's wrong with the other refs?

  • 11:15 PM 18/02/2016

    Yep, that was a stupid cheap shot, deserves a penalty for sure, maybe a yellow but nothing more. How did the ref missed that one? He was just in front it!

  • colombes
    10:45 PM 18/02/2016

    Polemic level zero.
    It was a penalty and 3pts scored by.. Sexton.
    But i agree Maestri could have received a yellow, but a ban? Never.
    But i guess all these british-made polemics have one agenda: the crunch ;)

  • oldflyhalf
    8:01 PM 18/02/2016

    wayne barnes, craig joubert and now jaco peypers. ...a select club. :(

  • drg
    7:33 PM 18/02/2016

    I'd have said an on field yellow at worst. Definitely a penalty, and no entirely sure how it wasn't brought up again. But warning seems pretty sufficient...

  • tphillipsstl
    5:19 PM 18/02/2016

    I live int he US, and the rules about how and when you can hit the quarter back have gotten ridiculous. You essentially cannot touch them. I'm generally dismissive of this sort of over-policing. That being said, I've seen a trend in rugby that seems to be increasing the last 2 years or so of targeting fly-halves. I'm not saying you should not hit them, but this off the ball stuff should be treated with severity.