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Punishment handed down to Agen following last month's Top 14 coin-throwing incident

Top 14 club Agen have been fined following a coin-throwing incident last month (Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)

French club Agen have been fined €12,000 and given a suspended one-match ground closure following unsavoury incidents in last month’s Top 14 defeat to Clermont which culminated in assisting referee Thomas Charabas being struck by a coin thrown by a home supporter in the 9,896 attendance. 

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A disciplinary hearing reported: “After examining the match officials’ reports, the arguments presented by SU Agen Lot-et-Garonne as well as the disciplinary record of the club, the disciplinary committee have decided to pronounce a suspension of the Agen ground for a match of the championship of France, accompanied by the reprieve, as well as a fine of €12,000 for disorders.”

Agen had run the risk of a heftier €80,000 fine and the threat of playing two home matches behind closed doors as a punishment. The club have condemned the incident but they are still trying to identify the supporter who controversially struck assistant referee Charabas with the coin following their 13-28 Top 14 loss to Clermont.

The contest was a tightly fought affair until a 57th minute yellow card for Agen captain Mathieu Lamoulie allowed Clermont, who had only been winning 15-13, to pull away and secure a far more comfortable victory.

Agen president Jean-François Fontenau said in the immediate aftermath of the coin throw: “Agen condemns in the strongest terms the incident that occurred at the end of the match that saw Thomas Charabas hit by a coin thrown by a spectator.

“Even if the intention of the spectator was not to hurt the referee, this gesture is in complete opposition to the values of our sport, of our club, and our supporters.

“I therefore condemn it unambiguously. This act is unacceptable from both a moral and ethical point of view. Agen will make every effort to identify and punish the person heavily, and will also further improve the security conditions.

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“I would like to salute the work of our security services, which, as Mr Charabas pointed out in his recent interview, have been irreproachable in their mission to protect referees,” continued Fontenau in a statement issued on his club’s website.

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Nobody runs the show like Beauden - Why the All Blacks need Barrett now, and at Rugby World Cup 2027

Gregg-a! Great piece! I have followed you for as long as you have been writing. You are no doubt in my mind the best of the NZ sports rugby writers! I appreciate all the comments, I have read them all and have great respect for them. That’s the great thing about different perspectives, you don’t have to agree with them but you can respect them. I moved away from NZ over 23 years ago. Though I live in a different country, I will always and forever be a Kiwi and a staunch die hard supporter of the All Blacks. I wake up early to watch every game without fail.


This is the first time I am making a comment on this platform. I just want to express my appreciation for Beauden! I have been a Beauden fan from the beginning of his career. Whether he makes it to the end of his contract in 2027, all the many scenarios that have been painted in this article and all the many comments relating to Richie, D-Mac and Love, whatever happens, happens, but, I am taking the opportunity to appreciate this great talent, great athlete, great rugby player and great man. I am bias, I hope he makes it to the 2027 world cup but who knows. What I do know is Beauden Barrett has been an outstanding All Black, he has represented the jersey with the mana, respect and reverence that comes with the black jersey. He is humble and doesn’t seek glory for himself but for the team, so for however long he plays, I will be watching, appreciating him as one of the greats of All Blacks rugby and I’ll be watching every other game the All Blacks play with Beauden in the team or no longer. I Love the ALL BLACKS NO MATTER WHAT!!

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