Rugby’s Week from Hell
The past week might just have been the worst week of rugby news in history. Not ‘the worst’ because it has been dull – far from it – ‘the worst’ in the sense that almost all the news has been…
‘Contact with the eye or eye area’: Kockott’s Case Considered
Castres’ Rory Kockott was this week handed a three-week suspension for “making contact with the eye area” of Munster’s Chris Cloete during Round 4 of the Champions Cup. The incident was not spotted by the referee during the game but…
Autumn Internationals Disciplinary Review
The 2018 Autumn Internationals have come and gone without a single red card or suspension – in the men’s game, at least. Surely, this is something we should be celebrating? A cleaner and safer game is in the interests of…
Will Spencer’s Red Card
The rugby world (or at least the twittersphere) erupted into furore on Sunday after Will Spencer’s red card against Wasps. The Leicester lock was sent off in the in the 40th minute after the referee deemed his shoulder to have…
To Arbitrate or Not to Arbitrate? What RFC Seraing v FIFA means for rugby
“The last twenty years have seen huge growth in sports arbitration. Rather than allowing disputes to be settled in ordinary domestic courts, most Sports Governing Bodies (SGBs) now provide for all disputes under their regulations to be settled exclusively by…
Ashton Fortunate to Escape Longer Ban
Chris Ashton was yesterday handed a seven-week suspension by the RFU. It came as a result of the red card he received in a pre-season friendly match between Castres Olympique and his new club, Sale Sharks, on Friday 17 August,…
Rugby’s Summer of Crime
This summer, rugby has hit the headlines for many reasons – not all of them good. There have been a trio of incidents which have seen players charged with criminal offences, leaving something of a shadow hanging over the sport…
Pulu & Nacewa: the Invalidity of Eligibility
In what is merely the latest drama surrounding World Rugby’s eligibility rules, former Niue international sevens player, Toni Pulu, has been declared eligible for Australia. The new Brumbies signing hit the headlines this week after rumours circulated that he had…
Spanish Rugby Federation v World Rugby (Part III)
Spanish Rugby in the Dock Part III: The End of the Line? | Keep Calm Talk Law An appeal committee upheld a first-instance decision that blocks the Spanish rugby team from qualifying for the Rugby World Cup 2019. Both decisions…
Spanish Rugby Federation v World Rugby (Part II)
Spanish Rugby in the Dock Pt II: Mitigating Ineligibility | Keep Calm Talk Law The Spanish rugby team will miss out on qualifying for the Rugby World Cup 2019 after fielding ineligible players. An independent committee confirmed they had breached…
