The truncated Rugby Championship ends next weekend when Australia and New Zealand meet in Sydney to contest the title but the final week will start on a farcical note with the tournament organisers appealing against a one-match ban imposed on the Wallabies flanker Michael Hooper on the basis it was too lenient, while the player has appealed on the grounds it was too severe.
Hooper was this week suspended for striking the Argentina fly-half Nicolás Sánchez during Australia’s victory in Mendoza. He had been cited for the offence which occurred off the ball as he supported a run by the former Exeter second-row Dean Mumm and felt he was being held back by Sánchez.
If the organisers Sanzar succeed in getting the ban increased, it is unlikely to have a direct impact on Australia’s World Cup campaign as next Saturday’s encounter against the All Blacks in Sydney will be followed by a Bledisloe Cup meeting with New Zealand in Auckland seven days later – but it has the potential to disrupt the Wallabies’ preparations as they have played only two Tests this year.
Hooper was given a two-week ban which was halved because of his previously good disciplinary record. The suspension was due to be served this Saturday as the judicial officer who heard the case, Nigel Hampton, accepted the flanker was due to play for Manly in the Shute Shield quarter-finals.
The Australian Rugby Union would not have appealed against that decision as Hooper would have been free to play in next Saturday’s title decider, but an independent appeals review officer, the Canadian Graeme Mew, felt the sentence was too lenient, not least because it meant Hooper would not miss a Test.
A three-man panel will hear the case by video conference on Sunday with the ARU launching its own appeal, saying in a statement: “We are disappointed at Sanzar’s notice to appeal the sanction. We will vigorously defend the appeal on the severity of the sanction handed to the player and we intend to cross-appeal the judicial officer’s original finding that the player was guilty of committing an act of foul play.”
The danger for the ARU is that, if its appeal is thrown out and Sanzar’s upheld, Hooper’s ban could be increased. Their first two matches in the World Cup are against Fiji and Uruguay and they then face England and Wales at Twickenham in the final week of the group stage.
Meanwhile Bath’s plans to increase the capacity at the Recreation Ground to 16,500 have received a boost after a successful court appeal against a decision preventing the club from securing more land at the site. The Recreation Ground Trust, which leases the land to last season’s Premiership runners-up, overturned a decision that prevented it from allowing Bath more space.
“We are delighted at the outcome of the appeal,” Bath’s managing director, Tarquin McDonald, said. “The decision opens the door to progress in terms of redevelopment. While we recognise there is still a long way to go, it is an incredibly positive step forward for both the club and the city. As we head into our 150th season, we remain committed to providing a world-class sporting, community and cultural venue in the heart of Bath.”
As part of the plans Bath will give up their Lambridge training ground, to be managed by the trust, as compensation.
Harlequins have boosted their back row by signing the No8 Mathew Luamanu, who has played in New Zealand and Japan, from Treviso.