Banned: Scott Higginbotham
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Wallabies flanker Scott Higginbotham has been banned for four weeks after being found guilty of punching and striking All Blacks flank Richie McCaw.
The incidents occurred during last Saturday's Bledisloe Cup Test at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, which ended in an 18-18 draw.
Higginbotham will miss out on facing England and France on their end-of-year tour to Europe next month after the ban was imposed at a judicial hearing on Monday.
The soon-to-be Melbourne Rebels forward was charged with both kneeing and headbutting McCaw in the 26th minute of Saturday's match.
Judicial officer Jannie Lubbe said the incidents were of a low level of severity and took into account Higginbotham's previous clean record.
Comments
jmanngod says...
pathetic! He should have been gone for 4-6 months for a headbutt. A message should be sent out loud and clear. Protect Sir Richie!
Posted 18:53 22nd October 2012
mew2000 says...
I actually have to agree with bokavenger kill me now!!! If he was SA he would have got more..... Maybe it will take someone being in hospital before they do something properly or till MCcaw gets so injured he can't play again? Pathetic!!!!
Posted 18:41 22nd October 2012
Dafydd29 says...
Far too lenient! One can only hope Deans does not take him to Europe which will add to his "lesson". Must admit I am surprised he had a clean record as I have frequently seen him take similar cheap shots.
Posted 17:26 22nd October 2012
three6three6 says...
The unfortunate thing about all of this is that Higginbotham is a half decent player.... he just allowed his emotions to run away.... The reality is that the Wallabies will certainly miss his abrasiveness in the next two games. The rationale for the decision is nonsense - 'no one was injured'. However, it did look fairly innocuous at the time.... BUT perhaps it does highlight that Cooper did get off very lightly with his infraction last year (before the RWC)
I only hope that the NZ crowd do not start redirecting their unsporting behaviour towards Higginbotham. We should all forget this incident and move on...
Posted 17:23 22nd October 2012
jonesy2 says...
so greylings tries to murder richies with his elbow/arm and he gets the same as higginbotham who bumps heads with richie. what higginbotham did was stupid and pretty poor but what greylings did was the most scumbagious, disgraceful thing you could probably do on a rugby field. the IRB is a complete disgrace and fudging joke! almost as much of a joke as APV1. another thing is joubert (who had a shocking game) was right there and did nothing but have a chat with richie and scott so he didnt even think it was worth ten minutes out let alone 4 weeks!!! has the whole world gone crazy!
Posted 16:26 22nd October 2012
melkdave says...
Personnaly i feel he should have got 6 weeks ,as it was clearly premedataed .Cheapshots just have to be stamped out ,no if or buts imo.
Posted 15:02 22nd October 2012
Jediboy says...
What a cheap shot. No need for that. Players at this level should be beyond this sort of petulant behaviour.
Posted 14:58 22nd October 2012
Ferdie says...
"SANZAR judicial officer Jannie Lubbe noted McCaw was not injured and was able to play on"
This is an unusual precedent i think - the act of headbutting should be completely outlawed - now it seems ' a little headbutt' is not so serious and only gets a light penalty. Who decides? Just because (McCaw in this case) player was able to continue - so if he had put on a (football-style) Hollywood and pretended the wound was fatal . . .
I'd prefer to see either action - a knee to the head, a headbutt - treated with equal seriousness.
What if it was the Qantas Wallabies player who is prone to repeat concussions - same penalty or a more severe one because he is more susceptible to injury?
Posted 14:35 22nd October 2012
kiwihelpgeek says...
Four weeks? What a joke! With their playing schedule, that is a measley 2 games! Why the hell are the punishments nit metered out in terms of games, not weeks? Or is this intended to declare open season on the All Blacks and especially Ritchie McCaw?
Posted 13:58 22nd October 2012
BokAvenger says...
If he was South African he would have been stoned in public, his family drawn and quartered and his name scratched from all public records.
Posted 13:43 22nd October 2012
Trader2 says...
Good and deserved, should have been another 4 weeks for being a coward. No sense in taking him now, he will miss the two big games, so leave the dropkick at home.
Posted 13:26 22nd October 2012
Terry_English says...
Should have been red carded because it was deliberate and opportunist but once again these incidents are missed by the officials. Not sure how because Joubert was less than two feet away. It, undoubtably, would have changed the result of the game.
Posted 13:17 22nd October 2012
Trinats2 says...
Justice 4 Higgers !!!
Posted 13:11 22nd October 2012
new_j4a says...
Fair enough in my opinion....was a Cooper like niggle with no serious attempt to maim....very stupid and a pity that this Oz team has to play in the NH without him. Its the eye gougers (of all nationalities) that ought to get a 1 year ban for a first offense and a lifetime ban for the second.
Posted 13:02 22nd October 2012
APV1 says...
Not enough, imo. What sort of message does this send out?
4 weeks for the knee would have been harsh, but 4 weeks for the headbutt isn't enough.
Should have been nearer 8 -> 2 for the knee + 6 for the headbutt.
Posted 12:16 22nd October 2012
startledwombat says...
The ruling seemed a little strange. A bit light.
Posted 12:09 22nd October 2012