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Wallabies appeal ban

The Australian Rugby Union will appeal a two-week suspension handed down to five-eighth Quade Cooper for a dangerous tackle in the Wallabies' 30-13 win over the Springboks at the weekend.

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

Sportal.co.nz

The Australian Rugby Union will appeal a two-week suspension handed down to five-eighth Quade Cooper for a dangerous tackle in the Wallabies' 30-13 win over the Springboks at the weekend.

Cooper was booked after up-ending Morne Steyne in the 54th minute, and despite the playmaker having already been penalised and yellow-carded for the lifting tackle by referee George Clancy, New Zealand judicial officer Bruce Squire QC handed down further sanction in a hearing in Brisbane on Sunday.

As it currently stands, the 22-year-old will miss matches against the All Blacks in Melbourne on Saturday night and again in Christchurch the following weekend.

The Wallabies are expected to appeal against the severity of the ban, arguing that the penalty is inconsistent with those handed down to Springboks Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie for similar incidents.

Fourie was suspended for four weeks for a spear tackle on Wallaby Richard Brown but will only miss one Tri Nations match in August, while de Villiers missed one Test despite a two-week suspension.

At issue is a flaw in Sanzar's judicial system that has in essence handed a two-Test ban to Cooper and one-Test bans to Fourie and de Villiers despite arguably greater offences.

The appeal will likely be heard on Wednesday by three judicial officers, one from each Tri Nations country.

The ban is said to have shocked the Wallabies' camp, representing a serious blow to their chances of ending a seven-match losing streak against their trans-Tasman rivals.

The All Blacks currently lead the Tri Nations standings with 10 points. Australia sits in second place with four points, while the Springboks are pointless after three straight defeats.

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