Scotland has confirmed that they will appeal the two three-week bans that were placed on hooker Ross Ford and lock Jonny Gray. The pair received the bans following an alleged dangerous tackle on Samoa’s Jack Lam in their World Cup Pool B match, meaning that they would miss their next game assuming Scotland had progressed from the group.
If the bans are upheld then the Scotland pair will miss their next game against Australia where they will be sorely missed.
Stuff.co.nz reports that Scotland Rugby Chief Executive Mark Dodson claims that both Ford and Gray have Scotland’s full backing and so he will fight to relieve them of their bans.
“We hold Ross and Jonny in very high regard and as a result will be launching a robust appeal to challenge their suspensions, which we feel are unduly harsh. I have raised their case with (CEO) Brett Gosper at World Rugby and asked for consistency in how such incidents are punished. “It is clear other unions are also seeking better clarity on the use of citing and the interpretation of how key areas of the game are scrutinised and the subsequent levels of punishment set.”
In the past, three-week bans have fallen under scrutiny for being too harsh on players and former Scotland international Kenny Logan was left seething after the bans were slapped on Ford and Gray.
“This is a sick joke… Two Scottish players with a perfect disciplinary record get a three-week ban for clearing out a player with no malicious intent at a ruck just because he fell awkwardly. There is no level playing field. This is a shameful decision.”
Following the game, Jaco Peyper, the referee, claimed that he was happy with his decision, claiming to have seen the incident perfectly.
“After our internal performance review process, I am satisfied that I dealt with the incident appropriately.”
However, judicial Officer Christopher Quinlan ignored Peyper’s comments and handed out the ban’s anyway, leaving both the players and Scotland Rugby angry with the result.
No matter how the appeals go, Scotland will be hoping that they come flying onto the pitch against Australia in the hopes of progressing past one of the competition’s favorites and into the semi-finals.
