IRB sanctions ignored?
Mears, Grewcock off lightly?
Recently the IRB sent out a set of recommendations for sanctioning players guilty of foul play. These had their first possible test this past week.
The IRB's recommendations were to come into operation on 1 January 2007.
The hearings this week were held on 4 January 2007 to examine incidents of stamping by Lee Mears and Danny Grewcock. In each case the incidents happened in December 2006, which means they may have been outside the new recommendations..
Both Mears and Grewcock pleaded guilty and each received a one-week suspension.
The IRB's new tariff of sanctions has as its lowest sanction for stamping a two-week suspension.
In each of these cases the incident occurred in an English Premiership match and the disciplinary committee was convoked by the RFU.
The disciplinary committee for the Mears incident consisted of Christopher Quinlan (chairman), John Doubleday and David Martin.
The disciplinary committee for the Grewcock hearing consisted of Christopher Quinlan (chairman), John Doubleday and David Martin.
The purpose of the reorganised recommendations by the IRB was to get consistency around the world. The lower tariff for each offence was intended for incidents where there are extenuating circumstances. Presumably there were extenuating circumstances in both the Mears and the Grewcock's incidents. Certainly in Grewcock's case previous conduct would not help in mitigation.
Asked whom we could contact about these suspensions, an RFU spokeman said: "The IRB recommended sanction is the Lower End entry point – and in accordance with their recommendations time then can be knocked off because of mitigating factors like a guilty plea, remorse, previous good disciplinary record, and so on."
Mears and Grewcock, it seems, had the same degree of mitigating factor.
