Ex-Test referee Nigel Owens believes that the punishment should fit where the crime was committed in regards to Dan Sheehan’s ban.
The Ireland hooker was suspended for a nasty clearout on Tom Lynagh, which saw his tucked arm connect with the head of the Wallabies fly-half.
Although the incident was missed by the match officials during the game, Sheehan was subsequently cited and banned for four matches.
He will be unavailable for the start of Leinster’s season but his first game oddly takes in a friendly encounter against Cardiff, a contest the front-rower would more than likely have missed anyway and a far cry from the level he was at while playing for the Lions.
Missing start of the URC
The Dubliners then face the Stormers, Bulls and Sharks, but Sheehan could be available for the clash with the Durbanites providing he completes World Rugby’s Coaching Intervention Programme.
However, if Owens had his way, the front-rower would be free to start the campaign with Leinster but miss Ireland’s next few fixtures in the Autumn Nations Series.
“I personally think that it should be like-for-like, so international matches [when the incident has occurred in Tests], or at least league or competitive matches,” he said on World Rugby’s Whistle Watch.
Owens then added: “One thing I think is easy to scrap off are the friendlies. You can get rid of the friendlies, that can’t count, that’s an easy one to do.
“It becomes a bit more difficult in deciding, ‘do we stick to international matches?’ That means he can play for Leinster but then in the autumn he won’t be available for Ireland.
“That’s maybe a little bit more tricky but, certainly, get friendlies out of the equation. Meaningful matches [only]: league, cup or international matches at the very least.”
Former England and Lions player’s view
Owens was joined on Whistle Watch by former England and Lions back Ugo Monye, who now co-presents the show, and he agreed with the Welshman.
“I couldn’t agree more. Scrap the friendlies, they should never, ever contribute towards this,” he said.
Monye does, however, have sympathy for the Leinster supporters, who have now seen their player made unavailable for the start to the season despite the incident not happening in a club game.
It therefore perhaps gives credence to Owens’ suggestion that the ban should only take in matches in the competition the incident has occurred in.
“I feel sorry to the fans in this one. The clubs pay the majority of the players’ wages but then you see players go off on international duty, they’ll then pick up a four-week ban, so the fans who support Leinster in this example, they don’t see their player for the next few weeks and the club suffers as a consequence,” Monye added.
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