Suspended: Sergio Parisse
Italy captain Sergio Parisse will miss the rest of the Six Nations after being suspended for 30 days for insulting a referee.
Parisse has been handed a 40-day suspension of which ten are suspended, making him elegible to play again on March 18th.
The suspension means Parisse will miss Italy's three remaining Six Nations clashes against Wales, England and Ireland in a huge blow to the Azzurri's chances in the tournament.
Parisse was shown a straight red card for insulting referee Laurent Cardona in the Top 14 fixture between his club Stade Français and Bordeaux-Begles. Punishments for insulting a referee can range from 40 days up to one year.
Comments
PeterboroughBlu says...
@rockman not so unblemished has previous suspension for gouging
Posted 18:29 20th February 2013
fachese says...
recording of the incident is clearly not a final evidence. it really shows one again the difference in judging standards applied to less powerful unions. the only noise you could gather from the audio is a fuc# ... parisse barely speaks english and certainly dos not swear in that idiom. lnr clearly upset with his try...
Posted 18:26 20th February 2013
ArmchairGeneral says...
Wales might have a chance now. Man of the match Sean Edwards.
Posted 17:49 20th February 2013
Kent says...
Presumably the disciplinary panel would have had access to the ref mic. Refs get some stick in every game and especially in France so it must have been pretty bad for the ref to send him off.
The real point here is that posters are trying to defend the situation and us rugby players/fans have always respected refereeing decisions however bad they are. The severity of punishment compared to other incidents is irrelevant and with the increased frequency where coaches criticise refs we'll soon be down the rocky football road
Posted 17:46 20th February 2013
lorenz78 says...
Ouch... Quite a blow, but I believe that if Italy learn not to be addicted to his talent that will benefit both the team and Parisse's own performance in the future. We have some good stuff in the back-row (though not sure about other more or less specialised 8s) and I don't lose confidence. Now I wonder who Brunel will look at as the new captain: Zanni maybe?
Also, anybody having a clue about what Parisse said to the referee, and how the incident came up? Getting red and a 40 days suspension - with Stade Français comfortably controlling the game - in the middle of the Six Nations sounds amazingly stupid for a guy who has some experience now
Posted 17:30 20th February 2013
macte says...
On an Italian television interview, Parisse said that the referee hasn't been actually insulted. It was an other English speaking player who insulted himself (in English) for his own mistake. Is he believable?
Anyway, it won't be the first time Italy plays without Parisse: although he is Italy's most talented player, a team can't rely upon a single person. It's time to show if they have the guts to become a real contender.
Posted 17:05 20th February 2013
GreenDip says...
And Cian Healy only got 3 weeks for stamping! Shows where the priorities lie!
Posted 16:59 20th February 2013
carpelone says...
Judging from the footage, this is harsh, extremely harsh.
A ban for the Welsh game was unavoidable, since the referee needed to keep his point. As far as the England game is concerned, I would have rested him anyway. The real blow is the game with Ireland.
Honestly, I don't know how Sergio could have avoided this.
Posted 16:58 20th February 2013
rugby_rockstar says...
I saw that coming. Bit like Neil Back pushing over Steve Lander. Don't mess with the ref in rugby union.
I'm sure sergio is gutted, stuck at home with his wife...
http://i2.listal.com/image/1838278/500full.jpg
What on earth is he going to do all day???
Posted 16:55 20th February 2013
rockman says...
Well that screws up Italys chances entirely! Such a great player, inspirational leader and has a unblemished record so this is entirely out of charactor for him. How can he get forty days for his first offence when hartley with his 3 bans (biting, gouging and punching) gets 2 weeks for viciously attacking Rory Best? Granted a ref should never be abused or even talked back to but due to his record and experience you'd have to assume it was blown out of proportion
Posted 16:40 20th February 2013