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EPCR finalise punishment over Boudjellal's controversial Morman comments after appeal
By Online Editors
Toulon have had a victory of sorts in their appeal over a punishment for president Mourad Boudjellal's controversial Morman comments.
Boudjellal was given a €75,000 fine by the EPRC in July, with another €25,000 suspended for three years and his were club threatened with a five-point deduction for three years and ordered to pay costs over their president's bizarre comments made in the wake of Mathieu Bastareaud’s punishment for allegedly using homophobic language.
Boudjellal did not appealing the fine, but the club pursued matters over the points threat and having to pay the Independent Disciplinary Committee hearing costs.
But following an appeal hearing in London on Tuesday that points sanction has been reduced, with all other sanctions against the club upheld.
A statement from the EPCR said "RC Toulon argued that the original decision of the Disciplinary Committee had been made in error and should be overturned. The club also argued that the suspended points deduction was disproportionate, and that the order of costs was excessive.
"The Appeal Committee determined that the appeal should be denied in every respect save that it decided to vary the terms of the original decision in one limited aspect relating to the suspension of the points deduction, by reducing the period of suspension from three seasons to one season.
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"The points deduction will therefore be suspended only for the 2018/19 season and the club will still be required to pay its contribution to the costs of the initial hearing.
France international Bastareaud was given a three-week ban after he was alleged to have directed a homophobic slur towards Benetton Treviso lock Sebastian Negri.
Between Bastareaud’s charge and punishment, Boudjellal gave an interview in which he expressed concern about the “Mormon side of the EPCR [European Professional Club Rugby] with the Welsh and Irish”.
Boudjellal suggested that Bastareaud would be punished by people lacking in moral standards, prompting an investigation by the EPCR.
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I didn't mean to sound down on Dmac. Just looking hard at the bench sub's role of providing impact. I don't think he can do that at 15, and the bench is not really about injury cover anymore (you need to maximise it's use more than that).
He's my first choice of any New Zealander for the 10 jersey with the All Blacks.
Go to commentsAgreed. And I don't have much more to say on it, but I had been having one thought that sprang to mind at the tail of this discussion, and that is that it's not all about Razor.
It's not about any coach being "right". I think a lot of selections can become defense and while it doesn't really apply here I really enjoyed that Andy Farrell just gave into the public demands and changed out his team for the change that had been asked for. Like why not? This is the countries team, keep them engaged. The whole reason i've only just finished watching the game was because I wasn't interested in watching any of the selected players against a team like Italy (still actually enjoyed the first half with the contest Italy made of it).
Faz leap frogs a younger half back into start. He hands the golden child the game over July's golden child. He gives an old winger a go, a new flanker and hooker. None of them really did any good, certainly not enough to suggest they should have been promoted above others, but who cares? You won, and you gave the country what they wanted, that's all that matters after all. It's for the country, not the one in charge who thinks they have to have their own pied piper tune playing.
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