France's Estebanez suspended for three weeks

http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/home/news/newsid=2057116.html#frances+estebanez+suspended+three+weeks

Another citing and another suspension of less than the minimum. Please note that it is less than the 5 weeks that Georgia's Gugava got, for what was deemed the same type and level of offence.

However my question here is that unlike Lawes/Armitage/Ghiraldini this was spotted by Steve Walsh, the ref, and was deemed a yellow card offence. Is the commision saying that Walsh got it wrong and should have sent him off or is it saying that yellow card offences are worthy of a ban?

Change the title to "English player gets suspended" and you might get a few hits!

How many times? They're not the minimum, they're entry points.

http://www.ercrugby.com/images/content/IRB_Sanctions.pdf

Please read the link if possible. It's quite funny. Holding a player back who doesn't have the ball and collapsing a maul/scrum have the same entry levels as shoulder charging, trampling and tripping.

When has anyone seen anyone cited for holding someone/blocking? How bad would it have to be to be cited? They should start citing everyone who blocks in the scoring of a try. Maybe that would cut some it out.

LondonTiger wrote:Please note that it is less than the 5 weeks that Georgia's Gugava got, for what was deemed the same type and level of offence.

If you and I were accused of the same crime we might not necessarily get the same sentence. There is past record, pleading guilty or not-guilty, who the judge is, etc.

The findings of both decisions are here:

http://www.irb.com/mm/document/tournament/mediazone/02/05/12/04/111003rwc11jodecisionleksogugava(georgia).pdf

http://www.irb.com/mm/document/tournament/mediazone/02/05/69/51/111003jodecisionfabriceestebanez(france).pdf

And each explains in detail how the final number of weeks was arrived at.