Northern Edition
Select Edition
Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

World Rugby statement: Japan's Michael Leitch banned after red card

(Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)

Red-carded Japan back row Michael Leitch will be available for the start of the upcoming Rugby World Cup in France after only getting a three-match ban that can be reduced to two with the successful completion of tackle school.

ADVERTISEMENT

Leitch, a star of the 2019 finals, was sent off in last weekend’s 24-22 warm-up loss to Samoa in Sapporo, but the sanction he has now received at a disciplinary hearing won’t impact his availability for the opening round September 10 encounter with Chile in Toulouse.

Instead, he will sit out this Saturday’s warm-up against Tonga in Osaka as well as the August 5 and August 26 friendlies versus Fiji and Italy. However, he will become free to play against the Italians as he intends to take part in the World Rugby coaching intervention programme.

Video Spacer
Video Spacer

A statement read: “Japan No8 Michael Leitch appeared before an independent judicial committee on Wednesday having received a red card for an offence contrary to law 9.11 against Samoa.

“The independent disciplinary committee was chaired by Nigel Hampton (New Zealand) and joined by former player Ofisa Tonu’u (New Zealand) and former international referee Donal Courtney (Ireland).

Related

“The player accepted that foul play occurred and that the offending warranted a red card. The committee noted that the offence carries a mandatory mid-range sanction (six matches), and having considered the mitigating factors reduced the sanction by the maximum mitigation of 50 per cent. The final sanction of three matches is to be applied as follows:

  • Japan vs Tonga, July 29;
  • Japan vs Fiji, August 5;
  • Italy vs Japan, August 26*.

“The player intends to apply to take part in the World Rugby coaching intervention programme to substitute the final match of the sanction for a coaching intervention aimed at modifying specific techniques and technical issues that contributed to the foul play.”

ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video

South Africa vs Black Ferns XV | Women's International | Full Match Replay

Play Video

Namibia vs United Arab Emirates | Asia/Africa Rugby World Cup Play-off | Full Match Replay

Play Video

Lions Share | Episode 5

Play Video

Classic Wallabies vs British & Irish Legends | First Match | Full Match Replay

Play Video

Did the Lions loosies get away with murder? And revisiting the Springboks lift | Whistle Watch

Play Video

The First Test, Visiting The Great Barrier Reef & Poetry with Pierre | Ep 6: The Ultimate Test

Play Video

KOKO Show | July 22nd | Full Throttle with Brisbane Test Review and Melbourne Preview

Play Video

New Zealand v South Africa | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

3 Comments
J
JW 734 days ago

WR is a joke. One year they let players with absorbing head breaking contact off the hook entirely, they next they give a 6 week ban to an injuryless knock.


This case is the opposite of Ireland's situation where they can use the pool stages to get people upto fitness. Japan's tournament begins at the pool stages were it plays its most important matches. It will now go into what are essentially knockout matches without one of its best players ready. An absolute joke.

F
Flankly 734 days ago

Tackle school? That's not nearly tough enough. He should also go to falling off a log school.

C
CC 735 days ago

Just like the Irishman’s ban - rest him for the warm-up games! Then he’s fresh for the start of RWC proper.

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

Comments on RugbyPass

F
Flankly 2 hours ago
There remains a culture of excuses in Australian rugby

One team has exceeded expectations in this series and the other has not. Hats off to a Wallabies team in rebuild mode for a smile-inducing effort in the second test (especially the first half).


Completely agree that a top ranked team finds ways to defend a big half-time lead, and they did not quite pull it off. The fact that Piardi did not run the Head Contact Process in the 79th minute Tizzano/Morgan incident is worth discussion. However, Schmidt will be pointing out to the team that avoiding a defensive breakdown on your own 5m line at that point in the game is the thing in their control. Equally, clarification 3-2022 says you cannot jump or dive as a means of avoiding a tackle, as Sheehan admits to have done, but the question for Australia is why and how they were facing a tap-and-go 5m from their line (again).


Where I disagree with this article is the suggestion that Australia are caught in an excuse-making trap of poor performance. For me they are on a steep curve of improvement, and from what we have seen of Schmidt, there is little reason to assume that this will end now. Granted Australia lacks player depth, and that’s a real problem against big teams and in major campaigns. But the Lions are a pretty good team, probably ranking in the top five in the world, and the rebuilding Wallabies were seconds (and a couple of 50/50 ref calls) away from beating them at the MCG.


In the end, the Wallabies are building to a home RWC, and were expected to lose the Lions series on the way to that goal. Success looks like being seriously competitive in the series loss, with good learnings about what needs to be fixed. A series win would have been a fantastic bonus, and humiliation for the UK/Ireland team.


I expect the Wallabies to be very credible in the 2025 RC, to be much better in 2026, and to be a very challenging opponent for any team in the 2027 RWC.

2 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Harlequins boost scrum-half stocks by bringing back former player Harlequins boost scrum-half stocks by bringing back former player