Official West Hartlepool RFC

The RFU says the game will now be played next Saturday the 22nd.

Lets hope no-one has made arrangments then, bit short notice aint it? or was there a game penciled in anyway?

It's the RFU rule.
A postponed game has to be played on the next available Saturday and that's next week. They're putting it in writing to all the clubs who couldn't play yesterday.
Rules is rules.

Shame it coulfnt be postponed till after Xmas, that way Mr Carrs ban would have been over :-D%-).

Now in my opinion thats a stupid rule, why ban people for weeks? why not like football, as in for an amount of competitive matches? Or is there a reason behind it being this way?

Always has been the case to ban players for weeks. The reason being is that technically a player could be sent off in a League match, but continue to play for the 2nd team etc. In this instance the player has paid no sentence for his crime.

If you look at football a player can be banned say in Europe in September with the next game planned for November. In between he continues to play for his senior side in the league in approx 10 games. Is that fair punishment.

Bans in rugby should be weeks so that both the player and the club feel the consequences of the actions.

But if the game wasnt rescheduled for next week, then he wouldnt have serves a ban at all really, missing a total of 1 friendly game. Is that justice?

Why not combine the two and say 20 day ban from all rugby (starting the day of the sending off) and a 2 game ban from league games! so if there is no league game for a few weeks (xmas etc) then after 20days he can play 2nd team rugby until 2 league games are played. This is fair to both the player and other teams in the league and offers a deterrant to foul play! Also what happens at present if you get sent off in the last game of the season?

A dicsiplinary panel needs to decide whether or not to include or exclude periods of time to accomodate part or the whole of the closed season.

This is covered in the RFU Handbook (8.2.15). Therefore I take it that a the disciplinary panel will in most cases apply an end date to the suspension that would mean the players missus an appropriate amount of games.

Going back to the previous comments, in Mr Carrs case whether the game was on or off yesterday, he still would have missed 1 league game due to his suspension. The fact that there is few league games in the period suspension does not matter. According to the rules for discipline a start and end date is applied to the suspension which equates to a number of weeks. The panel decide on severity of the action then give the dates.

The point is not what does happen but what should happen! League games matter a lot more to clubs and players then 2nd team games and freindlies! Missing 2 unimportant games is a nice rest and holiday - missing two league games that could decide promotion/relegation is heartbraking! The suspensions should reflect this!!!

The club have to submit a list of competitve matches to the disciplinary panel for them to take into consideration for the ban. Therefore an appropriate ban can be issued which covers an appropriate amount of competitive games.

I dont think there is a better solution than we currently have. In simple terms a player offends. The incident has a recommended amount of weeks that should be served. Depending on circumstances, witness statements and passed record, along with competitve games during the proposed band period, and appropriate ban is issued.

Football have it wrong and rugby are by no means perfect. We have to live with what we have and do the best job we can. The best way forward is for players not commit foul play (i.e. not throw punches).

Then why not give a league game supension and a total rugby time suspension! Not ambiguity and fair for all!

I agree with hartless here.

I think some ref should practice what they preach then. :-!

i dont see where the ref comes into. He/she will dish the appropiate cards. It is upto the disciplinary panel to decide on the punishment.

Its not a case of refs practising what they preach.

Well it is when you claim, people shouldnt go around throwing punches.

You remember the game on 4 sept 2004? I remember it very well.

4th Sept 2004......not really. Was it something memorable?

Nah, nothing spectacular, just some dodgy refereeing.

not sure what you are on about.....Sept 4th 2004....please remind me as if you are implying it is a match I have done I would be intrigued to know

Broken Army is Ref who I think it is or is it just a gripe in general at certain refs;-)

Dont think i need to answer that one, Blu:oP

So I am assuming it is not a personal dig at me then....not that I am paranoid or anything like that