SARrugby.com

Thomson gets one week ban

All Blacks flanker Adam Thomson has been suspended for one week as a result of a stamping citing against him from Monday's (NZT) game against Scotland.

Thomson appeared before the International Rugby Board's independent judicial officer, Jean-Noel Couraud in London.

Thomson had been cited by a commissioner on a charge of foul play.

Couraud said the incident was at the lower end of the scale of IRB sanctions.

After viewing several angles of the incident, and hearing representations from Thomson, a member of the New Zealand coaching panel and an All Blacks lawyer, Couraud made his decision.

Due to Thomson's conduct at the hearing, and other matters placed before him, Couraud took a week off the low end entry point of two weeks.

Thomson's suspension will run until midnight on November 18. He has the right of appeal but is free to be eligible for selection against Wales on November 24 and England on December 1.

was surprised he didnt get banned longer, i was actually half expecting him to have played his last game TBH.

i think that the testimony from strokosh whose head he rucked helped a lot and that thmosons explanation was sufficent, but he can count his lucky stars IMO, cos while i agree with the ban it could have been a lot worse.

It is indeed a joke, IMO.

 Instead of a ban, the punishment should fit the crime.

He should have to go to the tribunal and lie on the floor. Then someone on the panel should put on some rugby boots and step on Thomsons head to see how he likes it.

As for Dean Greyling, he is so stupid maybe he could have a brain transplant, because elbowing him in the head is probably not going to do much. 

Of course its a joke ........... with the ABs rotation policy he's scheduled to miss the next game anyway .

@blobok,
im not too sure about that bru,,,,,All Blacks are playing the azzuris this weekend and both scotland and italy are being used to try out new combinations, give newbies a bit more experience, give the frine players a run and the incumbents a rest and also to bloody new players.

thmoson comes under the category of a fringe player getting a run and giving our top dogs are rest before the two big matches of the tour wales and england.
loose forwards and bench that im expecting this week are 6 l messam, 7 s cane, 8 k read (c), 20 v vito.
 

Check a bit on this guy - and found out he is a wrestker as well.  Food on the head has been practiced on he funny American wresyling programmes - so I suppose that helps him in his playing.   LOL

At 30 years of age - he is a youngster compared to the older forwards in the All Blacks team.   No wonder he is a prime target for their rotation programme.   Will only be 33 at the time of the next RWC.   That is a junior player according to the All Blacks thinking.   Wonderful rotation programme - since he will replace McCaw - three years his senior in age - while the latter takes hissabatical next year.

In the meantime the SA coach is also rotating players.   However, the latter apparently has another norm to cover rotation.  The fatter and more unfit they are - the better do they fit into his rotaion programme.  What a lark.  LOL

I am thankful that common sense prevailed - often a missing ingredient in these decisions. Thompson should not have been penalised more than a week for this non event.  What is amazing though is the inconsistencies in sentences.

 Thompson should get one week and the one wearing that ugly headgear should get 2 weeks for crimes against fashion :-))

Hakwa

I will call the fashion police and alert them as to abuse of colours  in this case.  LOL

The last was not heard, on this ruling:

www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/7952664/Thomson-ban-under-scrutiny-as-review-announced

Hahahaha hakwa!!

Here is the rugby heaven article mentioned by windpom:

Only hours after one of its judicial officers handed down a one-week ban for trampling, the new boss of the IRB has announced All Black Adam Thomson's suspension will be reviewed.

Thomson's penalty, two weeks with one off for an unblemished record during his long test career, immediately attracted heavy criticism from Britain's leading rugby writers.

Thomson received the one-week suspension for trampling on the head of Scottish opposite Alasdair Strokosh at Murrayfield last Monday.

The IRB-appointed judicial officer's decision, as it stands, means Thomson will remain with the All Blacks for the remainder of their end-of-year tour and be spared the ignominy of being sent home after just one match.

However, IRB chief executive Brett Gosper, an Australian who recently succeeded Mike Miller in the top job, today revealed via social media microblogging site Twitter that the Thomson decision could be over-turned.

"The IRB will review this case as it is a match under our jurisdiction," tweeted Gosper. "If we decide to take action we will make it public."

That news caught an exhausted looking Thomson and All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster unawares as they arrived back at the team hotel from Heathrow today.

They were clearly unimpressed that after a thorough judicial process the decision was already the subject of a review, but Foster said that was the IRB's right.

Thomson said he was just glad the judicial hearing was over. He believed he had received a fair chance to state his case, which was essentially that the contact made with Strokosh's head was accidental.

"I never intended to make contact with another player in the game. I had a fair chance to lay that case today. I'm happy I had the chance to state my case and that it was listened to before he came to his conclusion," he said.

It had been a personal blow to be charged with stamping on an opponent's head.

"Massively mate. I'm disappointed with being suspended and I pride myself on the way I conduct myself on the field. To have such a long career and have a clean slate and then to get to this stage and have a blip is disappointing." (Agreed Thompson is not a dirty player and to smear the abs one role model does nothing for reforming the game there!! What thinks Hakwa?)

He was satisfied Strockosh did not hold an ill will toward him over the incident.

"I knew it wasn't intentional, Alasdair knew it wasn't intentional. We had a chat about it after the game and we had a chat about it at the after match

From what I saw there was no intention to do damage at all. Hope he stays on tour - let justice be done.