Available: Sergio Parisse
Italy captain Sergio Parisse is free to play England on Sunday after having won his appeal over a ban for insulting a referee.
The panel at Parisse's appeal hearing ruled that no insult had been made to referee Laurent Cardona during the Top 14 clash between Stade Français and Bordeaux, with Parisse's red card ruled as unjust.
Parisse's sentence has now been reduced by half to 20 days, making him available for Sunday's clash at Twickenham.
"Parisse will be re-activated as of Saturday, so he'll be able to play against England," said FFR Appeals Commission president Gilbert Chevrier.
Cardona accused the Argentine-born Azzurri star of insulting him in English, a charge which the multi-lingual Parisse has strongly denied.
And his charge has now been reduced from 'insulting a referee' to 'failing in his captain's duties', and he will perform community service as well as serve the 20-day ban.
The 29-year-old Parisse, who has been capped 93 times by Italy, missed the Six Nations loss to Wales in Rome and had been set to sit out the remainder of the event but will now be able to face both England and Ireland, who the Italians face in Rome on 16 March.
Comments
kybone says...
OzinLondon- Calm down petal, i think it was meant as a joke. Besides, i hear Deans has already whipped out the excuse bible. The first one being lack of game time pre first test. Oh sorry i thought you'd had 12 years to plan for this tour, i must have been mistaken. 12 years and he starts moaning now about his players not having any game time for the 3 weeks leading in to the first test. Sorry mate but err......why didn't you arrange a game then?
Posted 18:10 08th March 2013
kybone says...
OzinLondon- Calm down petal, i think it was meant as a joke. Besides, i hear Deans has already whipped out the excuse bible. The first one being lack of game time pre first test. Oh sorry i thought you'd had 12 years to plan for this tour, i must have been mistaken. 12 years and he starts moaning now about his players not having any game time for the 3 weeks leading in to the first test. Sorry mate but err......why didn't you arrange a game then?
Posted 18:09 08th March 2013
APV1 says...
@ OzinLondon - exactly! And, by the way, we usually head down south in the Autumn, not spring.
;-)
Posted 14:55 08th March 2013
Lucasrg says...
Lol...I just got a ticket for the game! if Italy win u will see a man running naked on the pitch with a banana skin as a pouch. It's me.
Cheers
Posted 20:47 07th March 2013
OzinLondon says...
APV1
Damn those Aussies, the only team in international rugby that makes excuses.
If only we could learn a few things from just about every British team that has ever headed south for a Spring tour (including the illustrious B&I Lions). Never any excuses before a tour (we're tired, long season, injuries, not enough preparation), and definitely never ever any excuses after.
Funnily enough I didn't hear any excuses coming from the Aussies at Twickenham in November... but quite a few from the other side (whoever that was... perhaps it was another Aussie side).
p.s. I realise that by mentioning Aus or SA at Twickenham last November, I might confuse a few people since those games have been whitewashed from history... Did you hear England have won their last 4 games!!!
Posted 14:11 07th March 2013
Spartacus says...
This should be a nice physical challenge to see just how good that England backrow are!
Posted 13:53 07th March 2013
ArmchairGeneral says...
Think England and Wales have got too cocky this week. Bananskins have been said to be no way happening which makes them banana skin potential. Catch22 on that. If they both lose England could win tournament with no more wins! And England play after Wales so they know what they need to do to close out the tournament. I will take playing 2nd rather than the extra day rest Wales get. We have to win tournament on Sunday! Then, frankly I don't give a stuff about the grand slam in 2013. I'd play an experimental side vs Wales. Burns, Wade, Kvesic, 36, Foden, Croft, Lawes at 4, Morgan etc maybe even Strettle but prefer May and tell them to go and express themselves and take the tripple crown if it comes. No need to concern about Grand Slam but play some great rugby and dont worry about the score. Dawson described it as a winner takes all in Cardiff. Hopefully winner will have taken all already. For Italy... Twickers is home, its a tournament winner, 2015 WC final stadium: win ugly but must must win! Then after 65 mins think about points difference if Wales has racked up some points in Edinburgh and IF Italy are beaten. Only Sunday counts.
Posted 13:50 07th March 2013
makemehappy says...
Too many appeals result in different tariffs! Clearly there is a fundamental problem with these clowns!
Posted 13:30 07th March 2013
APV1 says...
@ carpelone - because he grew a brain and moved Northwards, of course!
;-)
@ heart_of_oak - I don't think many teams use that excuse very often. Most just accept that they put out the best team they can and you play what's in front of you.
Except the Australians, of course, who use more excuses than an F1 driver!
Posted 10:30 07th March 2013
Speartackle says...
@APV1 "... PR - please stop with the "x Country-born..." and the "y country-qualified" and the other unnecessary bits of information. If you're worried that we might be missing some vital background, why not have a separate page listing all players' birthplace, nationality, eligibility-grounds, etc? That way if people want to, they have a forum to go batty about these things. Personally if I care enough, I use Wiki like the rest of the world."
Besides, he is Italian from the day he was born. So, it is not even a matter of eligibility-grounds. He is simply Italian, so the country he play for is the right one. That's it.
Posted 08:36 07th March 2013
Kent says...
@NHsaints. If you want to lose your arrogance tag then you may want to reconsider making statements like "it'll be good experience for them".
@ArmchairGeneral . And it'll be a glorious day In Edinburgh, pouring down In London and Scott Johnson is still part of the Welsh coaching set up
Posted 07:52 07th March 2013
heart_of_oak says...
i want to see us beating full strength teams. if we beat italy without parisse then people would say ah but they werent at full strength.
Posted 22:48 06th March 2013
ArmchairGeneral says...
Think this has all been about giving Wales a helping hand on the points difference to make it exciting upto the end
Posted 20:46 06th March 2013
NHsaints says...
no problem with this at all...apart from that England will have to deal with him although I'm sure our backrow is now more than capable. There won't be a historic first win for Italy over England this year but it'll be good experience for their team.
Posted 19:15 06th March 2013
jaycee_111 says...
mmm so the referee is a liar in the view of the FFR as there is no way he would have brought such a charge if he was not certain this could have interesting consequences.
Posted 18:59 06th March 2013
carpelone says...
APV1
How comes that you rate a SH-born player so highly?
Weren't they all mediocre??
Posted 18:17 06th March 2013
shoobydo says...
Upon appeal the committee found the referee really was a wa&&er.
Posted 17:51 06th March 2013
connaughtabu says...
Great news! He is one of the stars of the 6Ns - pity he isn't available for the Lions, on those firm Ozzie pitches where the game is played a speed, his pace around the park would be much appreciated. Come to think of it - noone seems to have put up his hand for the Lions No8 spot yet?
Go Italy!!
Posted 16:56 06th March 2013
Headhunter99 says...
Without doubt he's a cunning linguist !!!!
Welcome back Sergio, can't have the rest of the 6 Nations saying we only beat Italy because you were not there.
Posted 16:39 06th March 2013
5Lock4ward says...
@Lawynd, Well said. Parisse was born in Argentina but to Italian parents who were there for work. I have been known to stir this pot in the past but it really serves no purpose. I simply got tired of hearing about how American born raised and trained Samu Manoa was the son and grandson of Tongan rugby players. It now sticks in my craw as an IRB issue. Perhaps PR, if they want to fix the issue, should start a petition for rugby fans to sign demanding the law be changed from 3 years of residency to 5.
Posted 16:27 06th March 2013