1
Centre who was banned for 13 weeks for 'foul' act exits Cheetahs for Brive
By Online Editors
The Cheetahs have lost one of their best players.
French club Brive confirmed that they have signed centre Nico Lee, 25, from the Bloemfontein side.
Born in Pretoria, Lee came up through the ranks at the Cheetahs. He started in 2014 in the Vodacom Cup side before being promoted to the Currie Cup and Super Rugby sides.
In 2017, he was part of the Cheetahs team that joined Pro14 tournament.
Lee scored nine tries over the last two seasons of Pro14, scoring a hat-trick in an away game against the Southern Kings.
“Nico is a very physical centre. He will strengthen our backline for the next two seasons,” said Brive coach Jeremy Davidson.
A panel at the time said: "The Player’s actions are an act of foul play. They have no place in the game. This is not a case of over-exuberance, or an act which is within the rules of the game going awry. It follows that by its nature this act is one that is deserving of punishment. It is contrary to the spirit of sport.”
It was accepted that: “The effect on the victim player was understandably serious. There is no expectation, and there ought never be an expectation, that an opposing player would clear the contents of their nose onto an opponent.”
“It is difficult to imagine how an act of foul play of this sort could be worse, save for repeated acts or where actual injury is caused.”
Meanwhile, Mitch Lees is to leave Exeter Chiefs and will also be joining Brive ahead of the new 2019/20 season.
The 30-year-old Australian departs having spent the past five years at Sandy Park, where he has amassed 113 appearances, scoring eight tries in the process.
Brought to the club during in 2014 from London Welsh, Lees quickly established himself as a prominent figure in the Chiefs pack.
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Jake White: Ireland, Australia and Wales have the same problem
3
David Campese names his Springbok world player of the year winner
4
Let's be real about these All Blacks
5
Latest Comments
John, McKenzie was 10 years ago and he only lasted 15 months until the disgustingly unfair affair that brought him down. I thought that if he didn't get another gig over Eddie V2 then he was done. I read that he had been approached but declined to put his name in the ring.
There are no potential Wallaby coaches outside of McKellar unless you have some inside info?
Go to commentsThe way they are defending is sometime pathetic to be honest. Itoje is usually on the inside of the rush and he is paired with a slower tight forward. Unable to keep up with the rush we have seen the line become disconnected on the inside where the big boys are. How many times have we seen Earl rush past the first receiver almost into no mans land covering no attacker. It looks like a system without any guidance. Tome Wright, Ikitau and a number of Wallabies went back to this soft centre as did Williams, Jordan and several others. Also when the line is broken the multiple lines of defence seems to be missing. The rush is predicated on a cover and recovery system with multiple lines of defence but with England you dont see it any more. Fitness and conditioning seems to be off as well as players are struggling to keep up with the intensity of the rush. Felix Jones has left a huge hole. The whole situation was and is a mess. Why they insist on not letting him go and having him work remotely is beyond me. Its leading to massive negative press and is a hot button issue thats distracting from the squad. Also the communication around Jones and his role has been absolute rubbish and is totally disjointed. While some say he is working remotely and playing a role others are saying theres been no contact. His role has not been defined and so people keep asking and keep getting different answers. England need a clean break from him and need to start over. Whatever reason for his leaving its time to cut the rope before the saga drags the whole Borthwick regime down. As for Joe El Abd well good luck to him. He is being made to look like an amateur by the whole saga and he is being asked to coach a system thats not his and which has been perfected and honed since 2017 by Nienaber, Jones, Erasmus and Co and which was first started by White in 2004. He is literally trying to figure out a system pioneered by double world cup winning coaches at the highest level and coach it at the same time. Talk about being on a hiding to nothing.
Go to comments