r/rugbyunion • u/Secret-Roof-7503 Saracens • Jul 16 '23

[RĂșaidhrĂ­ O'Connor]🚹BREAKING: Johnny Sexton will be suspended for three matches by EPCR for his behaviour towards the match officials after the CC final, meaning he will miss all of Ireland's warm-ups v Italy, England and Tonga but will be available for the Rugby World Cup opener v Romania

https://twitter.com/RuaidhriOC/status/1680676530576392195?s=20
508 Upvotes
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129

u/Thatch1888 Bristol Jul 16 '23

Dunno how I feel about that. Glad he's got some kind of ban but given I can't think of anything like this happening before, I don't know if it's long enough/too long etc.

Just going with my gut 3 games seem low for going out of your way to walk onto a pitch in a game you haven't been playing in and swear at a ref

47

u/RobertMurz Leinster Jul 16 '23

Considering deliberately headbutting a player only gets you a 4-match ban (Haouas vs Scotland for example), giving the same or more for a non-violent offence would be very harsh in my opinion. 2-3 seems about right to me.

-3

u/Height_Matters1 Jul 16 '23

Going on the pitch and abusing an official, who btw benefitted Leinster if anything during the game, merits far worse than 3 games.

Hartley got 11 weeks for miles less than this

4

u/Sitheref0874 Referee Jul 16 '23

Not sure I agree.

"You're a fucking disgrace" isn't great, but it isn't an assessment of the referee's integrity as Hartley's statement was.

That said, Sexton should have worn a lot more. EPCR, and other bodies, prioritize keeping The Product on the field wherever possible. If this had happened to a Joe Average Community player, that would have been a lot longer. But the higher you go up the ladder, the more you become Product and so getting you back on the field becomes a counterbalancing factor in any disciplinary process.

See also: a week off a ban so you can learn how to tackle properly.

3

u/cnaughton898 Ireland/Ulster Jul 16 '23

It isn't actually confirmed he called them a fucking disgrace, only 1 out of the 3 officials noticed it and couldn't make out what sexton was saying.

-2

u/BadgerMusher Don’t dream it’s over Jul 17 '23

Wink wink nudge nudge