Bath's Dave Attwood banned 'for losing my s***, I crossed a line'

Ex-England lock Dave Attwood has been banned after he was cited for punching/striking in last Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership win by Bath over Northampton. He will miss three matches, including the prestigious November 20 friendly arranged for The Rec against the Barbarians.

An RFU statement read: “The case of Dave Attwood of Bath Rugby was heard on Tuesday evening, October 25, by an independent disciplinary panel chaired by Martin Picton, sitting with Alastair Campbell and Mitch Read.

“Attwood was cited for punching or striking contrary to World Rugby law 9.12 in the match against Northampton Saints on October 22. He received a three-week ban. Attwood will miss the following games: November 5 vs Newcastle Falcons, November 11 vs Leicester Tigers and November 20 vs the Barbarians.”

Fraser Dingwall, the Northampton player who was struck by Attwood, suffered a nosebleed which was treated on the field and he continued to play with no other effects. It was Dingwall who drew the referee’s attention to the incident, the written judgement explaining: “Northampton No12 gets up and goes immediately over to the referee.

“He shouts to the referee, 'He has f******* slammed my head into the floor'. The TMO has a look at the incident informally but doesn't see any clear footage to bring it to the attention of the referee. The incident was not formally reviewed by the referee team. The video of the incident is consistent with the report.”

The summary of the evidence submitted by Attwood was lengthy and insightful. “I wish to accept the charge and am providing the following statement in the hope of being able to save the panel’s time and allow them to consider this matter on the papers. I, Dave Attwood, wish to plead guilty to the charge of foul play under RFU regulation 9.12 - striking with the arm," he wrote.

“In the second half of a fiercely competitive match against Northampton, I found myself attempting to clear out a ruck close to the Northampton line. Northampton No12 had effected the tackle and it was my opinion that he did not make a sufficient attempt to remove himself from the tackle area.

“With frustration, I took it upon myself to highlight this to both Northampton No12 and to the referee by attempting to jostle him vigorously and bang him into the floor. While It was not my specific intention to slam Northampton No12’s head into the floor, my actions were reckless and I should have been aware of there being a possible if not likely repercussion of my actions given the mechanics at play.

“It was much easier for me to articulate the upper torso/head neck area than the bulk of the midriff/torso. While there was not a high level of speed or impact collision, there was a reasonable force and the contact of my forearm to the upper back/neck/head area of Northampton No12 certainly warrants this being elevated under the head protocol guidelines past the low range entry point.

“Other than deliberately obstructing the ball, there was no provocation from Northampton No12. He did not retaliate and although several Northampton players charged in to make remonstrations on Northampton No12’s behalf, it did not sour the game and the remainder was played in good spirit.

“Northampton No12 was not removed from the pitch and played the remainder of the game. At the next break in play, I took the opportunity to apologise to Northampton No12. I further reiterated this to him after the final whistle and messaged him privately that evening.

“I will be happy to provide a screen copy of this message exchange if required but quoting it… ‘Hey dude, tough shift today. I'm sorry for losing my shit. I crossed a line and I’m not proud of it. I would have reacted worse if it was me. I’m sorry. I’m a better person than that and today I wasn’t. Good luck for the rest of the season. Will see you at your place in the New Year’.”

Dingwall replied: “All good, mate - as I said (on the pitch), I get it and it would have just happened in the heat of the moment. I do really appreciate the message and could tell you regretted it soon after anyway but don’t worry, I’m not holding any grudges… see you at our place.”

Attwood then continued his summary: “Speaking to mitigation... while I am unfortunately not (in rugby terms) youthful and inexperienced, I have worked hard to maintain an exceptionally high disciplinary record throughout my career. I was banned in 2011 for recklessly stamping, but with that aside, I have maintained a career of over 17 years at the top of professional rugby with that being the only real blemish.

“I have and do readily admit that my conduct fell greatly below the standards required by the RFU but also far below the high standards I hold for myself. Instead of celebrating the first win of the season with my teammates, I spent the evening apologising to my teammates and coaches and family.

“I have taken an interest in supporting other players with disciplinary issues over the past three/four seasons and have appeared in front of many panels discussing these matters, and I am embarrassed to be here representing myself and my own poor conduct.

“I am held in high regard by most, if not all, referees as someone who has good communication skills, good emotional control and a good understanding of the laws of the game. Despite being someone renowned for physicality, I have thus far managed to ensure that always remained on the right side of the law and I am sorry to have breached that commitment.

“I will be happy to submit a further character reference should the panel wish to read one. My understanding is that the RFU sees this as a mid-range offence and, as stated above, I agree with them and will wait to hear thoughts on mitigation, before hopefully it can be requested that the panel consider dealing with this matter on the papers.”

• Click here for Dave Attwood's full written judgement