Findings of the hearing have been posted


www.ercrugby.com/images/content/ERC_Hear...y_Connacht_Rugby.PDF

True but don't tell Swifty! :whistle:

It puts a lot of pressure on Switfy, though, poor lad isn't going to get much of a break for the next four weeks.

To be honest it's the best result we could have gotten and it might be a positive in that Macca now has to be rested for those two weeks meaning he's gonna be fresh as a daisy against Gloucester. It;s Ospreys and Treviso next correct? While we're gonna miss him against the Ospreys I think he might have been rested anyway against Treviso. Roll on the next game!

If a player pleads innocent but is found guilty they go harder on him compared to a player who pleads guilty (even with an excuse, or in this case a belief it wasn't a red)

[quote="sea_point"

His discipline has been exemplary for last eighteen months so not surprised, good time to recharge batteries and have him back to rampaging best for HEC....[/quote]

"A week was added to suspension on the basis of McCarthy's disciplinary record, but a week was then taken off due to his guilty plea and conduct during the hearing."

So his record was not entirely exemplary for them to have added a week on to the ban, but his conduct during the hearing was good enough for them to deduct a week!

What was he doing during the hearing that merited the week deduction? More so given he disputed the red. Was he bringing in chocolate biscuits and making the tea during the hearing or something? The amount of hits the man puts in a single game, I would love to know why they added a week. Is it just something that if he got cited again in another 18 months that they automatically add a week on for having been cited previously in his career.

Still i'm not arguing with the 2 weeks, once he was cited that was pretty much the best outcome we could have hoped for. It's just the logic of the ruling that I'm struggling to get my head around.

Good Outcome I think:)

FROM RTE WEBSITE.....

Connacht blindside Mike McCarthy has been suspended for two weeks for a dangerous tackle on Vincent Clerc during his province's Heineken Cup defeat to Toulouse.

The Ireland international was yellow carded for the high tackle on Clerc during the first half of the clash, which Connacht lost 10-36 at the Sportsgrounds in Galway.

McCarthy accepted that he had committed an act of foul play, but disputed that the tackle warranted a red card.

The citing complaint was upheld by the independent judicial officer, Roger Morris of Wales. He determined that the incident was at the lower end of the scale for the offence under Law 10.4, and gave McCarthy a two-week suspension.

A week was added to suspension on the basis of McCarthy's disciplinary record, but a week was then taken off due to his guilty plea and conduct during the hearing.

McCarthy will miss Connacht's RaboDirect Pro12 games against Ospreys this weekend, and Treviso a week later.

He will be available for their Heineken Cup Round 3 clash with Gloucester on Saturday, 10 December.

The ERC also announced today that London Irish centre Steven Shingler received a four-week ban for his dangerous tackle during his side's Heineken Cup clash with Cardiff Blues.

Shingler was red carded for a tip tackle on Blues centre Dafydd Hewitt.

His suspension was increased from six weeks - the entry point for the 'mid level' offence - to eight as a deterrent but then reduced to four weeks on account of his good record.

And that's why you plead guilty!

After considering the player's disciplinary record the Judicial Officer added one week to the entry level, and deducted one week in mitigation due to the player's guilty plea and conduct during the hearing, with the player receiving a suspension of two weeks. McCarthy will be available to play on Thursday, 8 December 2011

At least they agreed it was a low end offense, otherwise his starting point would have been 6 weeks.

Macca has got to be seriously careful from now on though, his disciplinary record has been noted as not good and now he has this ban against him. If he gets a citing any time soon they're likely to go quite hard on him.

salmson wrote:

swift4prez wrote: 2weeks he got. not to bad if you ask me

Presume that starts from today, in which case he doesn't miss a HC game. We certainly did not get shafted there.

His discipline has been exemplary for last eighteen months so not surprised, good time to recharge batteries and have him back to rampaging best for HEC....

swift4prez wrote: 2weeks he got. not to bad if you ask me

Presume that starts from today, in which case he doesn't miss a HC game. We certainly did not get shafted there.

2weeks he got. not to bad if you ask me

Macca got two weeks, much better that it could have been. Looks like they went with low end offence.

I was at the game against the Ireland XV in Dublin, and Kearney was excellent.

Biggest issue is the ERC traditionally hand out the harshest bans. if you go in contrite and fess up ("Fair cop guv, it was an instant reaction but I accept it was dangerous") they tend to go a lot easier on players.

The meeting is tomorrow morning at 11:30.
Should know by lunch time