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Nailiko banned for Hibbard punch
By Peter Thompson
La Rochelle lock Jone Qovu Nailiko has been given a two-week ban for punching Richard Hibbard during Gloucester's European Challenge Cup semi-final victory on Saturday.
Nailiko hit former Wales hooker Hibbard in the stomach in the second half at Stade Marcel-Deflandre, but was not shown a card by the referee.
Fijian Nailiko had already been sent to the sin-bin for an elbow on Gloucester captain Willi Heinz in the Premiership side's 16-14 success against the Top 14 leaders.
To make matters worse for Hibbard, Irish referee Andrew Brace told him "I don't appreciate you throwing yourself on the ground. This is the wrong sport for that."
Nailiko was cited following a review of the incident and will now miss the clashes with Montpellier and Clermont Auvergne after pleading guilty.
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Latest Comments
I think the majority of their yellow cards were for cynical infringements instead of repeated infringements.
Go to commentsSpeed of game and stoppages in play remain a problem SK. Set piece oriented teams generally want a lower ball in play time, and they have various strategies to try and get it - legal and illegal!
They want to maximize their power in short bursts, then recover for the next effort. Teams like Bristol are the opposite. They want high ball in play to keep the oppo moving, they want quicker resolution at set pieces, and if anyone is to kick the ball out, they want it to be the other team.
The way rugby is there will always be a place for set piece based teams, but progression in the game is associated far more with the Black Ferns/Bristol style.
The scrum is a crucible. We have still not solved the problem of scrums ending in FKs and penalties, sometimes with yellow cards attached. A penalty ought not to be the aim of a scrum, a dominant SP should lead to greater attacking opportunity as long as the offence is not dangerous but technical in nature.
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