Eye-gouging (rugby union)

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Eye-gouging is a serious offence in rugby union where a player uses hands or fingers to inflict pain in an opponent's eyes. The game's laws refer to it as "contact with eyes or the eye area of an opponent" but such incidents are usually referred to as "eye-gouging" among players and in the media. [1]

Contents

Definition

The laws of rugby union, as written by World Rugby, define foul play as: "Anything a player does within the playing enclosure that is against the letter and spirit of the Laws of the Game. It includes obstruction, unfair play, repeated infringements, dangerous play and misconduct which is prejudicial to the Game". [2] Specifically, they state that "A player must not do anything that is dangerous to the opponent". [3]

WR Regulations provide for punishment for contact with eyes or the eye area of an opponent. [4]

Although this is usually called "eye-gouging" by the media, fans and players, the term "gouging" is not used in World Rugby's laws or regulations, which do list degrees of gravity of the offence. World Rugby themselves have used the term in a 2009 statement, when the body was known as the International Rugby Board (IRB): "The IRB are firmly of the view there is no place in rugby for illegal or foul play and the act of eye-gouging is particularly heinous". [5]

Scales of the offence

Following two separate high-profile test match incidents, involving Schalk Burger and Sergio Parisse, during the same week in June 2009, the IRB stated that it would review the sanction structure for this type of offence "in order to send out the strongest possible message that such acts will not be tolerated". [5]

The regulations provide a scale of seriousness. [4] As of the most recent revision to the regulations in 2016, separate scales are provided for "contact with the eyes" and "contact with the eye area", where the "eyes" are defined as all tissues within and covering the orbital cavity, including eyelids, and "eye area" covers areas outside the orbital cavity but in close proximity to the eye. [6]

Contact with the eyes
Contact with the eye area

The maximum sanction for either is a 156-week (3 year) ban.

In sevens, bans are officially expressed in numbers of matches instead of weeks, reflecting the schedule of the Sevens World Series for men and women, as well as other major events for sevens teams.

History

In the early days of rugby, eye gouging was commonplace and happened mainly in the scrum due to a lack of control by referees and the opportunity the scrum offered for players to commit foul play due to the way the scrum is formed. [7] The rising amount of foul play involving eye gouging eventually lead to the founding of the Rugby Football Union to control rugby and to reduce the amount of foul play. [7] Eye-gouging then began to disappear from the early game as the laws of rugby became stricter due to English public school students starting to play rugby. [8] After then foul play including eye-gouging became largely unspoken of and rugby authorities often ignored complaints of eye-gouging. This was due to authorities expecting players to deal with it themselves as it was claimed to be part of the nature of the game and was often viewed as a joke. [9] In 1992, Richard Loe made contact with Greg Cooper's eyes while playing in the National Provincial Championship and was banned for nine months after a nine-hour deliberation by the New Zealand Rugby Union's judicial committee. [10] This was viewed by observers as a turning point in attitudes towards eye-gouging and punishments for eye-gouging became stricter. [9] According to John Daniell, a New Zealand lock who played for nearly a decade in France, eye gouging is fairly common and considered "a way of life" in French rugby, where it is known as "la fourchette". [11]

Sanctions for eye-gouging have been subject to debate by journalists and commentators, depending on interpretation by presiding disciplinary officers. [12] Punishments in the Northern Hemisphere are seen by some journalists as being harsher than those for similar offenses seen in Southern Hemisphere countries. [13] South African national coach, Peter de Villiers stated he did not believe that an eye-gouging incident for which Schalk Burger was yellow carded merited any punishment. [14]

Examples

Clarence Harding after a severe eye gouge RUeyegouge.jpg
Clarence Harding after a severe eye gouge

As well as many cases involving professional rugby union, the case of Clarence Harding, an amateur player, has received considerable coverage due to the extreme damage caused to his eye. [15] [16] Harding was left without sight in his right eye and can no longer play rugby, and the injury has affected his livelihood and has since had the eye removed due to the pain. [17] Matt Iles, the player alleged to have injured Harding, was found not guilty by the RFU as they could not determine which player was responsible. [18] However, Maidstone RFC were fined £2,000 and deducted 50 points after being found "guilty of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game". [19] The incident was also investigated by Kent Police but no criminal charges were brought against Maidstone or Iles due to insufficient evidence. [20]

On 2 October 2010, Gavin Quinnell suffered an eye injury during a game between Llanelli and Cross Keys, from which he lost the sight in his left eye. [21] The incident was under investigation by the Welsh Rugby Union and Gwent Police, with the police arresting the perpetrator. However, the Crown Prosecution Service advised against prosecution, leading to the dropping of criminal charges, and the WRU eventually dropped its citing complaint, to the self-described shock of the Quinnell family, one of the most prominent in Welsh rugby. [22]

An incident in the Rugby World Cup final on 23 October 2011 led the IRB to reevaluate its disciplinary procedures. France centre Aurélien Rougerie apparently made contact with the eyes of New Zealand captain Richie McCaw, who would later state that he had been "half-blinded" for the last few minutes of the match. [23] The original camera angles provided by host broadcaster Sky NZ showed no apparent foul play, and Rougerie was not cited within the 36-hour window allowed by IRB rules at the time. Three days after the match, new Sky NZ footage emerged which showed Rougerie apparently raking his hand across McCaw's eyes. The IRB could not cite Rougerie outside the 36-hour window, and the exception allowed in its rules for "exceptional circumstances" did not include the emergence of new evidence. In December 2011 the IRB announced that it would reconsider its procedures to address similar situations in the future. [24]

High-profile cases

This is a list of cases where eye-gouging has been reported to have happened in top national league, European Cup or international level rugby union matches. It is shown in chronological order; international matches are highlighted. Players banned for contact with eyes or the eye area of an opponent as well as eye-gouging are included.

Offence dateOffenderVictimLength of ban
(weeks)		Playing
ForAgainst
1992 Flag of New Zealand.svg Richard Loe [25] Flag of New Zealand.svg Greg Cooper [25] 26 Waikato Otago
1997 Flag of New Zealand.svg Troy Flavell [25] Flag of New Zealand.svg Steve Sinkinson [25] 3 North Harbour Wellington
1999-11-26 Flag of France.svg Richard Nones [26] Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Sven Cronk [26] 104 Colomiers Pontypridd
2003-08-02 Flag of South Africa.svg Bakkies Botha [27] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brendan Cannon [27] 8Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
2003-10-26 Flag of Argentina.svg Roberto Grau [28] IRFU flag.svg Keith Wood [28] 9Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina IRFU flag.svg  Ireland
2003-10-26 Flag of Argentina.svg Mauricio Reggiardo [28] IRFU flag.svg Reggie Corrigan [28] 6Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina IRFU flag.svg  Ireland
2007-01-20 Flag of France.svg Daniel Larrechea [29] Not available6 Sale Sharks Ospreys
2007-04-20 Flag of England.svg Dylan Hartley [30] Flag of England.svg James Haskell and IRFU flag.svg Johnny O'Connor [31] 26 Northampton Saints London Wasps
2008-02-23 Flag of Italy.svg Mauro Bergamasco [32] Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Lee Byrne [32] 13Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales
2008-03-15 Flag of Fiji.svg Seru Rabeni [33] Flag of England.svg Andi Kyriacou [33] 14 Leicester Tigers Saracens
2008-07-12 Flag of South Africa.svg Bismarck du Plessis [34] Flag of New Zealand.svg Adam Thomson [34] 3Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
2008-09-20 IRFU flag.svg Neil Best [35] Flag of England.svg James Haskell [35] 18 Northampton Saints London Wasps
2008-10-18 Flag of Romania.svg Marius Țincu [36] Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Paul James [36] 18 Perpignan Ospreys
2009-01-24 Flag of England.svg Martin Corry [37] Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Richard Hibbard [37] 6 Leicester Tigers Ospreys
2009-04-18 Flag of France.svg Olivier Azam [38] Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Jamie Roberts [38] 9 Gloucester Cardiff Blues
2009-05-02 IRFU flag.svg Alan Quinlan [39] IRFU flag.svg Leo Cullen [30] 12 Munster Leinster
2009-06-26 Flag of Italy.svg Sergio Parisse [40] Flag of New Zealand.svg Isaac Ross [40] 8Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
2009-06-27 Flag of South Africa.svg Schalk Burger [41] IRFU flag.svg Luke Fitzgerald [30] 8Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa British and Irish Lions
2009-10-09 IRFU flag.svg Shane Jennings [42] Flag of England.svg Nick Kennedy 12 Leinster London Irish
2009-12-12 Flag of France.svg Julien Dupuy [43] IRFU flag.svg Stephen Ferris [43] 24 Stade Français Ulster
2009-12-12 Flag of France.svg David Attoub [44] IRFU flag.svg Stephen Ferris [44] 70 Stade Français Ulster
2010-08-28 Flag of Argentina.svg Juan Manuel Leguizamón [45] Flag of France.svg Jean Bouilhou [45] 12 Stade Français Toulouse
2010-12-19 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Richie Rees [46] Flag of England.svg Dylan Hartley [46] 12 Cardiff Blues Northampton Saints
2011-04-02 Flag of England.svg Mark Cueto [47] Flag of England.svg Christian Day [47] 9 a Sale Sharks Northampton Saints
2011-10-02 Flag of Italy.svg Leonardo Ghiraldini [48] IRFU flag.svg Cian Healy [48] 15Flag of Italy.svg  Italy IRFU flag.svg  Ireland
2014-01-25 Flag of New Zealand.svg Sam Dickson [49] Flag of Fiji.svg Not available [49] 8 b Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Sevens Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji Sevens
2014-08-01 Flag of South Africa.svg Mandisa Williams [50] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alisha Hewett [50] 16Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Women Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Women
2014-11-22 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ray Barkwill [51] Flag of Romania.svg Not available [51] 9Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of Romania.svg  Romania
2015-09-20 Flag of Argentina.svg Mariano Galarza [52] Flag of New Zealand.svg Brodie Retallick [52] 9Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
2016-01-09 Flag of Fiji.svg Josaia Raisuqe [53] Flag of South Africa.svg CJ Stander [53] 15 Stade Français Munster
2016-01-16 Flag of England.svg Chris Ashton [54] IRFU flag.svg Luke Marshall [54] 10 Saracens Ulster
2016-03-12 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Tomas Francis [55] Flag of England.svg Dan Cole [55] 8 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales Flag of England.svg  England
2016-12-10 Flag of South Africa.svg George Earle [56] Flag of England.svg Tom Ellis [56] 8 Cardiff Blues Bath
2017-09-30 Flag of England.svg Kyle Sinckler [57] Flag of England.svg Michael Paterson [57] 7 Harlequins Northampton Saints
2017-10-14 Flag of South Africa.svg Francois Louw [58] Flag of Italy.svg Marco Fuser [58] 3 Bath Benetton Treviso
2017-10-14 Flag of France.svg Terry Bouhraoua [59] Flag of Russia.svg Valery Tsnobiladze [59] 4 Stade Français Krasny Yar

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Note a: Prior to the announcement of the RFU's nine-week ban on 11 April 2011, Cueto had received a six-week ban from his club. The bans ultimately ran concurrently.
  2. ^ Note b: Dickson's ban was officially announced as nine matches; the NZRU chose not to appeal. This covered the final of the 2014 USA Sevens and the entirety of the 2014 Wellington Sevens; he will be available for the 2014 Japan Sevens.

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References

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