Cooper fined, receives suspended ban

Updated October 31, 2012 22:45:53

A contrite Quade Cooper has apologised for behaviour that fell below Wallabies standards after being fined at least $40,000 and handed a suspended three-match ban on Monday for two breaches of the Australian Rugby Union code of conduct.

The independent three-man conduct tribunal of chairman and barrister Dominic Villa, former Wallaby lock David Giffin and Mark Wooley heard six alleged breaches of conduct by the Reds playmaker following a marathon hearing at ARU headquarters on Wednesday that lasted more than four hours.

The talented 24-year-old five-eighth, who has made 38 Test appearances, was fined $10,000 for his comments on social media on September 22 about an ARU-licensed video game called Rugby Challenge.

Cooper was also fined $50,000 - $20,000 of which is suspended for two years - in relation to his comments on social and mainstream media.

Cooper's criticism of the Wallabies included a reference to a toxic environment and he also cast doubt on his commitment to playing for Australia again.

He was also given a three-match ban - suspended for two years - which could apply to Super Rugby or Test matches, depending on what period of the season any future breach occurred.

Cooper, who arrived at ARU headquarters almost half an hour before the scheduled 1pm (AEDT) start of the hearing, made a short address to the large media pack after the hearing, but didn't take questions.

"It's been a very long day, it was a very fair hearing and I was very happy with the outcome," Cooper said.

"Obviously, the sentence that has been handed to me, full respect for that and I understand that I fell well below par in what it means to be a Wallaby.

"For all the supporters that are out there, my apologies.

"From now on, I'm just looking forward to the future - hopefully having a big year, with not only my state, but the Wallabies.

"And I'm very much looking forward to overcoming my injury and getting back out on the field."

His remarks on Wednesday suggest he fully intends to push for Test selection in the future rather than looking at a possible switch to rugby league.

ARU deputy chief executive officer Matt Carroll said his organisation had noted the tribunal's findings and would consider their next step in contracting Cooper, whose current agreement concludes at the end of this year, though he has already re-signed with Queensland.

"ARU placed contract negotiations with Quade Cooper on hold until the tribunal process had been finalised," Carroll said.

"Given the tribunal has handed down its decision, this matter - as far as we are concerned - has been finalised.

"ARU will now look at how we address the contract situation involving Quade Cooper."

Cooper, who was represented by Angelo Benardos, has had a difficult past 12 months.

He endured a difficult World Cup and his contribution was terminated by an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury early in the bronze-medal match against Wales.

He returned to action in the middle of the Super Rugby season and he played three Tests in the Rugby Championship before succumbing to another knee injury, which ruled him out of the Wallabies spring Tour.

AAP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, australia, qld

First posted October 31, 2012 17:58:17

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Greyling suspended for Wallabies clash

Updated September 16, 2012 18:53:46

Springboks prop Dean Greyling has been suspended for two weeks for a forearm smash to the face of All Blacks captain Richie McCaw in their Rugby Championship match in Dunedin.

Greyling will miss the Springboks' next match, against Australia in Pretoria on September 29.

He admitted hitting McCaw in the 64th minute of Saturday's clash, which was won by the All Blacks 21-11, when he appeared before SANZAR judicial officer Paul Tully on Sunday.

"Greyling, whilst in the process of cleaning out at a ruck, recklessly used his forearm such that he made contact in a dangerous way with the head of New Zealand player Richie McCaw," Tully said.

"Although there was no injury complained of, the action had potential to cause serious injury."

Lock Eben Etzebeth, who was banned for two weeks for a headbutt in their previous Test against Australia, will be back for the return match.

Springbok's coach Heyneke Meyer apologised to McCaw after the match and said Greyling's behaviour had cost them the game.

"We're a team that prides ourselves on discipline and we can't afford these things in games," Meyer said.

Skipper Jean de Villiers also said Greyling would face internal action.

"We'll never condone playing dirty," de Villiers said.

AFP

Tags: rugby-union, sport, south-africa, new-zealand, australia

First posted September 16, 2012 18:48:33

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Waratah Horne suspended for two weeks

Updated April 22, 2012 19:15:20

New South Wales centre Rob Horne was suspended for two Super Rugby matches on Sunday for his lifting tackle on Melbourne full-back Kurtley Beale.

Horne was cited by SANZAR for his dangerous tackle in Saturday night's 30-21 win, which sparked a series of tweets from Queensland counterparts Digby Ioane and Quade Cooper, who claimed their Wallabies team-mate should be rubbed out for a lengthy period.

In discussions with the Waratahs on Sunday, the SANZAR judicial officer initially gave Horne a four-week suspension, but that was scaled back to two because of his good record and an early guilty plea.

Horne might consider him lucky, after Ioane was handed a five-week suspension for a dangerous tackle of his own back in round four against the Sharks - which many thought was excessive.

SANZAR chief executive Greg Peters said Ioane and Cooper will not be sanctioned for tweeting their opinions on Saturday night on how long Horne should spend on the sidelines.

Peters said Super Rugby players needed to be cautious about what they post on social media but, in SANZAR's view, Ioane and Cooper did not break the code of conduct.

The governing body's chief executive said the tweets from the Queenslanders were in "a game context" and "didn't cross the line."

Ioane was embroiled in a Twitter controversy last year when he tweeted "worst ref ever" after the Reds lost a close match in Wellington.

On Saturday night, he wrote that Horne's lifting tackle on Melbourne star Kurtley Beale was worth six-eight weeks, while Cooper chipped in that he thought the incident deserved 10 weeks.

Waratahs captain Benn Robinson said he thought the comments made by Ioane and Cooper, surprisingly about their Wallabies team-mate Horne, could well have landed them in strife.

"I think contractually those boys might get in a bit of trouble there," Robinson told Triple M.

"It's not disappointing. It's just a bit of a shock to me that those boys would jump on there straight away and make those comments."

New South Wales coach Michael Foley said as far as he was concerned, the Twitter drama was "irrelevant" and the Waratahs were focused solely on the judiciary process which has now been completed.

The Waratahs say they need another 24 hours to determine the extent of full-back Bernard Foley's shoulder injury.

Foley did not return for the second half on Saturday night after he came off second best in an attempted tackle on Rebels winger Lachlan Mitchell.

"We won't find out until tomorrow. He's had scans and we're just waiting for the results and the specialist's opinion.

"He's seen our medical staff this morning but we need another 24 hours before we can be more certain how that's pulling up.

"He felt better on (Sunday) morning which is positive."

Michael Foley said if his namesake was not fit to face the Crusaders this week, he would consider shifting playmaker Berrick Barnes back to number 15.

AAP

Tags: super-rugby, rugby-union, sport, sydney-2000, australia, nsw

First posted April 22, 2012 15:17:39

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