Eye-gouging suspensions

Sergio Parisse and Schalk Burger were both found guilty this weekend and suspended for eye-gouging. They are not the only ones in recent times.

Suspensions have varied.

Burger and Parisse were both suspended for eight weeks each.

The International Rugby Board has a recommended tariff of punishments, going from least to most. In the case of contact with the eyes it reads:

Offence: Contact with eyes or the eye area
Lower: 12 weeks
Middle: 18 weeks
Top: 24+ weeks
Maximum sanction: 156 weeks

Here are some of the suspension of top players in recent times. There are not many incidents and they are not confined to any country but that they are few does not make them less reprehensible:

Troy Flavell three weeks for his action against Steve Sinkinson
Bismarck du Plessis three weeks for his action against Adam Thomson
Federico Mendez four weeks for his action against Brian Moore
Martin Corry six weeks for his action against Richard Hibbard
Mauricio Reggiardo six weeks for his action against Reggie Corrigan
Sergio Parisse eight weeks for his action against Isaac Ross
Schalk Burger eight weeks for his action against Luke Fitzgerald
Olivier Azam nine weeks for his action against Jamie Roberts
Roberto Grau nine weeks for his action against Keith Wood,
Alan Quinlan 12 weeks for his action against Leo Cullen
Mauro Bergamasco: 13 weeks for his action against Lee Byrne
Seru Rabeni 14 weeks for his action against Andy Kyriacou
Neil Best 18 weeks for his action against James Haskell
Marius Tincu 18 weeks for his action against Paul James, though it did not stop him playing on for Perpignan
Richard Loe 26 weeks for his action against Greg Cooper.
Dylan Hartley 26 weeks for his actions against Jonny O’Connor, Joe Worsley and James Haskell