Thomas Ramos avoids citing for cheap shot on Marcus Smith
Toulouse fly-half Thomas Ramos will face no action over an unsavoury attack on opposite man Marcus Smith as his side beat Harlequins 47-19 at the Stoop on Sunday.
With just seconds to go in the Investec Champions Cup match in London, and with the result already sewn up, Smith found himself with the ball in his hands on his own try line with Ramos pursuing him. The Englishman was able to shrug off the tackle of the fellow fly-half before offloading to his teammate Oscar Beard. Ramos scrambled back to his feet to tackle Beard and in the ensuing ruck had a pop at Smith.
The Quins No10 was lying at the bottom of the ruck, whereupon Ramos flopped on him, seemingly dropping his elbow into his back, before pushing his head into the ground. Had his elbow not landed only on Smith's back, this could have been a much more serious incident.
It was a needless cheap shot, particularly in the context of the game, but the France international will face no further action after the EPCR announced their scheduled disciplinary hearings today. The only player to be cited after round two of the Champions Cup is Northampton Saints scrum-half Tom James, who will attend a hearing tomorrow via video after being accused of striking Toulon scrum-half Ben White with his head in the 70th minute their match at Franklin's Gardens.
In the Challenge Cup, both Benetton's Sebastian Negri and Castres' Adrea Cocagi have been cited following their red cards at the weekend. Negri was dismissed by referee Eoghan Cross for a dangerous entry to a ruck against Perpignan, while Cocagi was shown red for a dangerous tackle against Edinburgh.
Cocagi's hearing will take place this evening, while Negri's will take place at a later date on a papers only basis.
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Yes. Departure of good coaches for no externally visible reason. Not even a cover story. Could be a major rugby disagreement or a compensation issue. Or maybe it's about an interventionist RFU administration. Whatever the reason it does look like a raised middle finger.
Go to commentsNo. He’s needed back home. Potential future Bok coach once Rassie gets tired and retires. Ackerman is key to sourcing and unlocking future talent. What a score for SA rugby.
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