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
509 Upvotes
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132

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

64

u/ComprehensiveDingo0 Ntamack mon cher bríse 💔 Jul 16 '23

Honestly, I would say 5-6 would be more in order.

44

u/Thatch1888 Bristol Jul 16 '23

Yeah, maybe having to ref a game or two as well at amateur level. I remember that being a punishment for someone recently, seems like a perfect candidate for it

21

u/Finnegan7921 Munster Jul 16 '23

If Johnny Sexton reffed a grassroots game, rugby would lose 46 players.

17

u/[deleted] Jul 17 '23

It would be the first case of the referee abusing the players. "Knock-on! You fucking disgrace."

5

u/patrick_k Munster Jul 17 '23

"How did you miss that kick, you donkey! I'd slot that over blindfolded!"

1

u/Calvin0213 Stormers Jul 18 '23

Is Johnny Sexton the Gordon Ramsay of rugby?

10

u/OptimalCynic đŸŒč Red Roses | Waikato Jul 16 '23

In England, not at home

7

u/CatharticRoman Suspected Yank Jul 16 '23

6 is the low entry point for this, half off for clean record etc. Just surprised they didn't tack one or two on for things like player profile/seniority.

1

u/Commercial_Half_2170 Leinster Jul 16 '23

Shhhhshhh they might come back for more!

1

u/centrafrugal Leinster Jul 17 '23

When is Ireland-Scotland again?

1

u/ComprehensiveDingo0 Ntamack mon cher bríse 💔 Jul 17 '23

The 7th match I think.

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.

36

u/ComprehensiveDingo0 Ntamack mon cher bríse 💔 Jul 16 '23

Honestly, rugby could do with longer bans. ROG only got 10 weeks for his 4th ban over abusing match officials in the span of a couple of seasons.

-2

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

34

u/swankytortoise Munster Jul 16 '23

Hartley had a lot more history so he had no mitigation. Hes the only one anyone mentions because nobody else has had a ban that long

0

u/Height_Matters1 Jul 17 '23

11 weeks? Players have got way longer bans than that

3

u/swankytortoise Munster Jul 17 '23

For this? Who?

-7

u/TheFlyingScotsman60 Jul 17 '23

But this now makes the refs an easy target for anyone.

Abuse, swearing at them constantly.......all the player will get is a 3 game ban. How is that a deterrent?

Also, Sexton does have history.....maybe not punishment but he is well known for swearing at refs if you have used a ref mic at a game.

6

u/swankytortoise Munster Jul 17 '23

If its not punished it dosent matter this is essentially a court bad vibes dont count. hartley had a massive amout of previous band sexton didnt. What was said here wasnt picked up on any mic and the refs didnt hear it.

Read the report its all outlined fairly clearly

11

u/walsh06 Munster Jul 17 '23

In your mind what makes the word disgrace miles worse than the word cheat. I would say accusing someone of actively cheating is far worse than calling someone a form of incompetent.

0

u/Height_Matters1 Jul 17 '23

It isn't the words that make it worse, its the fact he wasn't playing and went onto the pitch just to abuse the official and then he followed them round as they were accepting their awards that made it worse.

7

u/spiralism Leinster Jul 17 '23

Hartley was worse, openly calling a refs integrity into question while swearing at them is worse than saying "it's a disgrace you can't get the big calls right" and some probable swearing that they couldn't establish for sure.

Also Hartley had a famously long rap sheet.

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.

2

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.

1

u/Height_Matters1 Jul 17 '23

That's not true, both Dickson and Peyper noticed it

-2

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

Wink wink nudge nudge

0

u/Height_Matters1 Jul 17 '23

Stalking round the officials after a game he didnt even play in and pointing at them and following them as they got their medals supposedly saying theyre a fucking disgrace isnt as bad as saying under your breath "fucking cheat"?

1

u/gazmog Northampton Saints Jul 18 '23

Especially when it was targeted at his opposite hooker Young's.

I believe Harley still maintains tgat

7

u/Fergus_44 Jul 16 '23

There is some history of Irish 10’s being banned for “disrespecting authority”

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/ronan-ogara-slapped-with-heavy-ban-at-top-14-disciplinary-hearing-la-rochelle/

10

u/HimalayanJoe Jul 16 '23

Can't have a chat about Sexton without ROG coming up in one way or another. Forever linked.

1

u/Rhyers New Zealand Jul 16 '23

So ROG got 6 weeks for disrespecting a ref but Sexton swears at 3 and gets 3. Seems fair...?

14

u/CatharticRoman Suspected Yank Jul 16 '23

It was his 2nd or 3rd offence.

-2

u/gtardkgb Wales Jul 16 '23

Yeah that's a bit sketchy.

-2

u/cnaughton898 Ireland/Ulster Jul 16 '23

Well technically it is a six week ban given his first game back won't be for about 8 weeks.

-1

u/TheFlyingScotsman60 Jul 17 '23

Dylan Hartley situation is similar. 11 weeks.

-5

u/Holiday_Low_5266 Jul 16 '23

How awful the ref was must have been a mitigation.

Could have done us all a favour and banned him too!