French duo in hot water
Stade Francais players Julien Dupuy and David Attoub will face a disciplinary hearing for eye-gouging.
The incident occurred in Ulster’s win over Stade Francais in the European Cup last weekend. Televison images clearly show Dupuy poking Stephen Ferris in the eyes, while it has been reported that Attoub also attacked the Ulster flank.
Dupuy and Attoub could face a ban of up to 24 weeks if found guilty, but considering the IRB have stated that they want to clamp down on foul play like eye-gouging, a heftier suspension should be made.
An official date for the hearing has not been made yet.
December 15th, 2009 at 9:30 am
24 weeks is unacceptable for such a serious offence.. Ban these dragons for 2 years.
December 15th, 2009 at 9:40 am
the video of this is really damning and Dupuy should get a long ban… didn’t see what Attoub did…
just a thought though… not condoning ANYTHING these two have done… but was wondering does anyone know what Ferris did to incurr the wrath of these two players…? Can understand one of them having a brain-**** and attacking him… but for both of them to attack him…? Sounds to me like Ferris was getting up to no-good himself…
yes… I know you don’t retaliate and take the law into your own hands blah-blah…
just asking the question… “Does anybody know what Ferris did…?”
December 15th, 2009 at 9:43 am
I think you have a point Ufo but to attack the players eyes twice is a shocker.. Why not rather just punch the guy if you are going to take the law into your own hands,you would get a 2 week ban and thats all she wrote. Gouging eyes is crazy.you can blind a player and end his career. I hope an example is made of this guy.
December 15th, 2009 at 9:49 am
@Winston:
oh for sure… the guy deserves what he gets, no doubt about it…
was just wondering…
December 15th, 2009 at 9:53 am
I was of the opinion that the ban that Schalk Burger got was too short,8 weeks for such a shocking act made me think he got off lightly,what happened to the good old days of just having a punch up when guys had a disagreement on the field..
December 15th, 2009 at 9:54 am
@ufo: Its a fair question, but Ferris did say in an interview afterwards that if someone had whacked him on the chin, he would say fair game, and not want the guy to get cited and then stated that clearly eye-gouging is taking it to far.
The French leagues are notoriously dirty, you only need to go on rugbydump to see the amount of fights that break out and dirty play that goes on.
Was Dupuy not also accused of eye-gouging (giving a New Zealander a facial!) by the Kiwi commentators recently?
December 15th, 2009 at 9:56 am
@Winston:
agree… Schalk was very dumb and got very lucky…
sure… but what happened to just tackling the mother like an exocet and bruising or busting his ribs…??? Nothing illegal or dirty… just blerry hard…?
December 15th, 2009 at 10:00 am
@WOLFMAN21:
notice Ferris didn’t say what he (Ferris) did…
still whatever it was… eye-gouging is not acceptable… Period!
yeah, French domestic rugby is notorious… and that’s why I though it was mighty hypocritical of them to call the Boks “butchers”… still think is was to inhibit the Boks robust-playcause the Boks knew they’d be watched… Worked well and won the Frogs the game…
December 15th, 2009 at 10:00 am
@ufo: Yep, agreed. Rugby is a tough and rough enough game that there does not need to be dirty play. You have plenty of chances to tackle someone into oblivion, clean out a ruck or destroy them in a scrum.
I remember Doug Howlett smashing Earl Rose in the tackle a couple of years ago after Earl had high tackled Howlett. That is the best type of justice.
(Please note: This is not critique on Earl Rose or on de Villiers selecting him.)
December 15th, 2009 at 10:03 am
I agree the game should only be about tackling and scoring but due to nature of the game you will always just get the odd punch up,it just comes with the territory.. I was watching old British and Irish Lions games and some serious fights broke out,but the hit each other and the ref turned a blind eye.I’m not condoning it but the odd punch up here and there will always happen. But these days with citings its alot more chilled.
December 15th, 2009 at 10:03 am
@ufo: Yep, one of the ultimate cases of having won the match in the press conferences before they actually played. They made it seem like Bakkies bleeding was “justice” for his “dirty” play over the years.
One of the best examples of manipulating the ref and the press I have seen recently, although Jake White and his destruction of the Aussie scrum and Bill Young in the press was awesome.
December 15th, 2009 at 10:05 am
@Winston: But I think the citings give rise to things like eye-gouing as players perhaps think it is easier to get away with-they think they can’t be seen at the bottow of the ruck, whereas punches are often more blatant.
December 15th, 2009 at 10:07 am
@WOLFMAN21: Ha ha ha…what’s with the disclaimer?
Yeah I agree, like John Smit tackling Bad Brad Thorne.
December 15th, 2009 at 10:13 am
@Jozi: Yeah, I am sure John Smit dreamt of that tackle for the last year or so!
Any-thing about Earl Rose or Him Whose Name Should Not Be Spoken (Luke Watson) leads to racist arguments, something I am keen to avoid, hence the disclaimer!
December 15th, 2009 at 10:22 am
@WOLFMAN21: LOL you’re a funny guy. Freedom of speech and all that…..the joys of a democracy.
We’ve got a few nutters on this site so maybe you’re right. We wouldn’t want to feed the trolls.
December 15th, 2009 at 10:28 am
John handled that perfectly… waited for his opportunity and let Brad have it… everyone knew the score read 1:1… I respect a guy a helluva lot more for dealing with dirty play in that way…
December 15th, 2009 at 10:44 am
@WOLFMAN21: paranoid?
December 15th, 2009 at 10:51 am
@ufo: what did fdp do to deserve the monster tackle from schalk in the cc semi? That hit left the “pure genius” bamboozled!
December 15th, 2009 at 10:54 am
@Transformation:
hey trans… a bit obvious init…???
He wore a blue jersey…!!!
December 15th, 2009 at 11:24 am
@ufo: hey ufo…i hear you made an appearance in jozi the other week, were you @ the Golden Lions trials?
December 15th, 2009 at 11:25 am
@ufo: Ferris had a great game, that’s what he did wrong, got involved in everything. World class forward Ferris, would’ve been in the Lions test team if he hadn’t got injured.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
@ufo: if you watched the game you would have seen Ferris was having an awesome game, driving Stade back in the tackles and being a complete pain in the *** at the breakdowns. He was causing Stade to get slow ball and they were obviously frustrated.
Dupuy is an idiot.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
@Big Hit:
He was pencilled in ahead of Marty Williams as a certainty for No.6 before he was injured, matter of fact Wallace, Williams and Croft all play a similar type of a blind side loose FWD, but Ferris is a class above, we just saw him against the Boks, didn’t we?
Rest assured the French rated him, that’s why they were instructeed to maim him, bloody frogs, such a cynical approach to a rugby game
December 15th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
@Winston:
Time you realise the difference between a good old staright undercut punch to settle an issue and an eye gouging in the ruck, only despicable, degraded type of humans do it.
If you remember SB Snr’s rugby days then you know what I mean
December 15th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
the problem is its a frequent cheap shot in french rugby , they are the kings of dirty play. i remember reading about an All Black in the 80s saying that everytime he jumped in the lineout the french no 6 wouldnt jump but just punch him in the balls! i think it was the same game Buck Shelford got his scrortum rucked open!!. people go on about how dirty the boks are and how the ABs get away with dirty play but nothing compares to these guys, you only have to look at youtube and all the big all in brawls involve french players.
If i had my way an eye gouge would be a two year ban , in the end its a game that people play for enjoyment there is no way there should be a chance of having there eyesight damaged for the rest of there life its criminal.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
@Transformation:
yeah… all over the place these days… keeping people thinking…
@Big Hit:
@fish out of water:
I didn’t… which is why I asked… would like to though… to be able to make up my own mind…
but will have to take your word for it until then…
December 15th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
It’s amazing how quiet the British media are on this one in comparison to the Burger incident, especially given this is twice as bad as 2 players were involved!
December 15th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
No place in rugby for eye gouging. Ban these dudes for years and bring in Schalk burger as well.
what is 8 weeks compared to someone losing an eye!!
December 15th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
@Yetirat:
2,3,4 players who cares. Anybody eye gouging has to go for a long time Schalk got away with it,dam lucky.
December 15th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
@Yetirat:
burger was fingered while fingering someones eye.
He deserved many more weeks for his eye gouging…he was caught and got away with a lot. IRB had an opportunity to send a message to all players as Schalk was caught red handed.
schalk should have had a year ban at least…send a message home!!
December 15th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
@Pearl Rose: Not paranoid, just realistic!
December 15th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
@wallabie.: what part don’t you understand, he was found guilty for reckless play or soemting, not for eye-gouging and this from the IRB themselves, so why would you want to inflict a punishment that doesn’t fit the crime?
December 15th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Because wallabie is a typical little twirp nob head trying to still the pot. We all know what Schalk did was stupid but he did not try rip the guys eye out or stab him in the eye. If he was doing anything he was just trying to agetate him. What Dupuy did was a malicious and repetative savage attack!
Schalk’s ban of 8 weeks was just and longer than 3months would have been stupid.
wallabie you totally sucked in the tri nations and did not feature this year at all, get over it!
December 16th, 2009 at 12:04 am
@Guns:
Actually we sucked during the 3N,Oz actually beat you guys