Elsom cops a week

[oxleymoron]

What a load of BS

Elsom to miss Springbok showdown
From David Benuik in Durban, South Africa
August 26, 2008 AUSTRALIA will get another glimpse of the future on Saturday after Rocky Elsom was suspended for the Tri Nations Test against South Africa.

Elsom was rubbed out for one game by the SANZAR judiciary which finally found him guilty of dangerous play during the second half of Australia's drought-breaking 27-15 win against the Springboks in Durban last Saturday.

The flanker had been cited after pulling down Springboks jumper Victor Matfield in a lineout.

Elsom attended a two-hour hearing only for citing commissioner Nick Davidson QC to postpone his decision.

Australia's team at Ellis Park will now take on the look of the near future without injured lock Dan Vickerman (shoulder) and flanker Elsom, who will both bow out of Test rugby when they head to Europe at season's end.

Reinforcement Nathan Sharpe has joined his team-mates at their base north of Durban but could find himself down the pecking order below rising stars Dean Mumm and Hugh McMeniman.

Sharpe, Mumm and McMeniman will vie for the blindside flanker position and one of the lock spots, with the man missing out likely to sit on the bench.

McMeniman has finally recovered from a bout of food poisoning which forced him out of last Saturday's match and laid him low for three days.

"If it was to happen I think you'd just have to take it in your stride," Mumm said.

"I think I've taken a lot of confidence out of (Saturday), and not knowing I was going to be there (because of McMeniman's illness), and yet the team had such a good result."

The Wallabies have trained for the first time since Saturday's win, fittingly for Kiwi coach Robbie Deans at the Durban Crusaders' ground.

Australia have only once won successive Tests in South Africa - in 1963 when the Wallabies beat the Boks 9-5 in Cape Town and 11-9 in Johannesburg two weeks later.


AAP

Elsom to miss Springbok showdown - Rugby - Fox Sports

[no.8]

One closes another door opens - there's only so many combinations.
Let us say
Sharpe and Mumm start - McMenimam on Blind, Smith on the open and Palu at 8.
Leaving Waugh and Brown on the Bench!

[Swee_82]

crap

[lara93]

wat about cj

[no.8]

CJ van der Linde was suspended for four weeks

[lara93]

really!
damn

[lara93]

CJ van der Linde © Gallo Images1. CJ van der Linde (South Africa)

South African prop CJ van der Linde was suspended for four weeks after being found guilty of dangerous play at a ruck during South Africa’s Tri-Nations match with Australia in Durban on Saturday.

Van der Linde faced a SANZAR Disciplinary Committee hearing after he was cited by citing commissioner Steve Hinds of New Zealand for striking Wallaby halfback Sam Cordingley with his head in the eighth minute of the match. Cordingley was not injured.

The SANZAR Disciplinary Officer Mr Nick Davidson QC of New Zealand accepted Van der Linde’s guilty plea to contravening Law 10.4(i) for dangerous play at a ruck. Van der Linde was cleared of contravening Law 10.4(a) relating to deliberately striking an opponent with the head.

Van der Linde has been suspended from all rugby until Monday, 22 September,

In his findings Mr Davidson said that the offence was cited as a deliberate striking with the head to the head. After hearing evidence and reviewing video coverage he decided that the offence was on the cusp of a striking but, applying the standard of proof, was assessable as dangerous play in a ruck under law 10.4(i). Mr Davidson found that this was an attempt to clear out with no legitimacy, Van der Linde driving forward unbound, off his feet, with his head as a leading edge.

Van der Linde denied targeting the head but acknowledged it was an illegal attempt to clear out, carrying a risk to Cordingley, who was fortunately not injured.

As a deliberate strike this would have warranted a top-end entry. Without injury and in the context of an illegal attempt to clear out a mid-range entry of four weeks applied.

Van der Linde has an excellent disciplinary record on which to draw in mitigation. However, the International Rugby Board has recently expressed its concern about the danger of unlawful and dangerous clearing out on the fringes of tackles, rucks and mauls and the need for deterrence is clear and is a counter-weight to any mitigation, said Mr Davidson.

Van der Linde was represented by South African Rugby Union legal officer Christo Ferreira, national teams manager Andy Marinos and personal attorney Stephan Weyers.

2. Rocky Elsom (Australia)

Australian flanker Rocky Elsom was suspended for one week for unlawfully interfering with a player in a lineout during his team’s Tri-Nations match with South Africa in Durban on Saturday.

Elsom faced a SANZAR Disciplinary Committee hearing after he was cited for tackling South African lock Victor Matfield in the air in the second half of the match.

The SANZAR Disciplinary Officer Mr Nick Davidson QC of New Zealand said that the Judicial Officer is entitled to review the reasons for a decision taken by match officials when they observe and address an incident on the field of play.

Mr Davidson emphasised the referee’s position as sole judge of fact and law during the match. However, a Judicial Officer may later review the reasons for the decision but shall not make a finding contrary to the referee’s decision unless satisfied that his reasons are wrong.

In this case assistant referee Mr Bryce Lawrence had a clear view of the incident and while recognising the admitted illegal interference with Matfield by Elsom, he quite distinctly assessed it as carrying insufficient risk to merit more than a penalty, as he reported to referee Lyndon Bray. Mr Lawrence’s evidence was cogent in this regard.

A review of extensive video coverage showed Elsom in fact using two hands to pull down Matfield, rotating him sideways and off-balance. He landed on his feet and fell awkwardly across Elsom. The incident was contributed to when Elsom lost the support of his lifter, but any interference of this kind carries real danger and a sanction is required, said Mr Davidson. Elsom has been suspended from all rugby until Monday, 1 September

Matfield gave telephonic evidence that he suffered an injury in the incident but completed the game without impediment. Any injury appeared minor and did not influence the decision.

In an extended first-class career Elsom has a previous breach for a quite different offence. In all of the circumstances and because of the inherent danger in this type of breach a sanction of one week was applied, said Mr Davidson.

Elsom was represented by Australia coach Robbie Deans, team manager Phil Thompson and John Pammenter SC.

[jargan83]

this utter crap


I hear Sth Africa are running out in AFL uniforms on saturday night
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[brokendown gunfighter]

how does one attempt to clear out a ruck with ones head & hitting an opposition players head not considered a deliberate head butt?

oh I see,it didn't knock him out

[Thequeerone]

Not much blood with a cracked skull

[laura]

Just a slight cop-out 4 weeks is nothing, he will only miss 1 game, same as Rocky Elsom.
Why didn't they suspend him for 4 matches?!

[shasta]

So he misses 1 Test & 3 Currie Cup matches I suppose . Big Deal. That really sucks. Should be 4 tests.

[robyn <3]

thats rubbish. rocky gets the same as cj. there was absolutely no malice in rocky's citing, whereas that bloody saffa prop drilled a hole in cordingly's head!! crazy crazy tribunal people...

but still.
brownies turn is fast approaching this could be his luuuucky break!

fingers crossed that its brownies shot this weekend!

[jono]

complete bullshit!
every single lineout over the 14s season has had the exact same contact in it. why is it only being adressed now?

[prop53]

He went into the ruck with intent and therefore should have been rubbed out for at least 4 games not weeks its a bloody joke, it was pure luck the head glanced Cord and it was not full contact or would that have been on the cusp as well.