IRB to appeal Thomson ban
22 Nov 2012
The IRB will relook All Blacks flank Adam Thomson’s lenient ban for stamping on an opponent’s head.
Thomson was handed a one-week suspension last week after being found guilty of stamping on the head of Scotland’s flank Alasdair Strokosch.
However, the ban received huge protest from pundits and critics on social platforms, saying the final call was very lenient.
In response, the IRB confirmed that it will investigate the citing process.
‘After careful consideration and having reviewed the full written decision in the Thomson case well within the permitted 72 hours of receipt, the IRB strongly believes that the sanction of one week is unduly lenient for this particular act of foul play and not aligned with the sanctions handed down in similar cases,’ read a statement.
‘The IRB firmly believes it is in the best interests of the game and its integrity to exercise its ability to appeal the Thomson decision.’

31 Comments
22 Nov 2012, 10:10 am
Surely the whole panel who issued the original (too-lenient ) suspension ought to be fired forever if their judgement has indeed to be overruled by the IRB?
22 Nov 2012, 10:27 am
The IRB is embarrassing themselves again. Originally I thought it was some toothless twitter threat and they would just review the process instead of the ban. Now that Thompson is sitting out two matches, they will probably spend forever reviewing the ban and decide he deserved two weeks, which he has already sat out anyway and leave him with no further punishment.
I would have no problem with them giving him a 2-3 week ban if they had acted immediately but they’ve now taken one week to announce that they are making a review. How long do they need? Do they decide the morning of the England test? It’s simple, look a the case, decide how long it deserves, announce the ban. I could do it in five minutes, he deserves 2-3 weeks.
If they don’t trust the Six Nations committee that they appointed to handle the case, why don’t they review every sentence before it is handed out, on the day
22 Nov 2012, 10:40 am
@gonzo-2:
I try to take the positive approach and look at it as the IRB doing us supporters/Abs a favour, ever since he got the big palm off from Samo hes been playing on borrowed time
22 Nov 2012, 10:45 am
“the big palm off”, love it TR
22 Nov 2012, 10:57 am
Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted
22 Nov 2012, 11:08 am
Damn right a one week ban is lenient.
In fact, it is insane.
When will the world see this injustice?
22 Nov 2012, 11:39 am
Lekker! Kry vir jou vuilgat!
22 Nov 2012, 11:39 am
@Te Rangatira-3: Ever since Rory Kockott smacked him on his @rse
22 Nov 2012, 12:49 pm
@Te Rangatira-3: No doubt, I’d rather he didn’t play, give Vito a chance. Thompson has some acceptable games but my memories of him will be Samo running over him and winning the tri-nations, him putting his foot on Strokosch’s head and embarrassing us, and the stoned look in his eyes whenever he scores a try. Is it just me or does he look wasted most of the time?
I can’t figure out what went through his head. Obviously not anger, it was a gentle tap. Some momentary lapse of brain function.
Anyway, enough of the character assassination from me. The guy has been a servant to Nz. Anyone willing to stick around a few years and play back loosie in the era of McCaw deserves a little credit. Best of luck in Japan or Europe or wherever he goes. The Kings?
22 Nov 2012, 12:55 pm
@gonzo-9: “Is it just me or does he look wasted most of the time”… No its not you… I know that look – many Kiwis have that look…
They look stoned, wasted invariably with ginger dreads if pakeha or beaded dreads if maori… because they are farken stoned or wasted….
Some of the most unproductive farkers I have ever met, outside the Irish of course…
22 Nov 2012, 13:00 pm
@Heavens Game-10: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA that is a funny post HG! (Except for your dig at the Irish).
Agree Kiwis often look stoned, and notice how often they have curly hair??? *just saying*
22 Nov 2012, 13:07 pm
@bokfan1-11: Must be the Scots heritage, curly gingers…
Someone told me some very wise words once: “Scots ladies are like snow… Farken blinding white and can get very ugly”
I reckon this applies to Kiwis too 100%…
22 Nov 2012, 14:27 pm
@Heavens Game-10:
haha……budiful….”most unproductive farkers” them and the Bok backline
22 Nov 2012, 15:14 pm
@Heavens Game-12: Ja must be the high % of Scots blood that makes the ginger.
but I must agree, I have never met or seen a good looking Kiwi girl.
Its not very gentlemanly to start slagging the girls off HG
Good looking Scots girls are few and far between, but a pretty one can be VERY pretty.
So not sure what happens down there in NZ.
Dan Carter is about the prettiest Kiwi Ive ever seen.
22 Nov 2012, 15:14 pm
Guys – does anyone know what time the Bok bus will arrive at Twickers?
22 Nov 2012, 15:27 pm
all we want is fairness and consistency.
if the kiwis are anywhere near as ‘honest and equally affected by refereeing incompetency’ as they claim they are then they should welcome this sort of thing.
22 Nov 2012, 15:32 pm
Bigotry is alive and well on Keo
22 Nov 2012, 15:43 pm
@bokfan1-14: Here’s the reason why:
http://nz.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071230091723AAL2KWx
22 Nov 2012, 15:58 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-16: Consistency, yes, we all want it. And a speedy resolution. Taking a week just to announce that they will review the ban is ridiculous. As is making the original announcement via Twitter rather than alerting the ABs’ lawyers.
@TooMuchRugby-17: I didn’t want to appear precious but apparently generalisations about Maori and white NZers is ok. Not sure you’d get away with calling black Saffers lazy farkers as easily
22 Nov 2012, 16:34 pm
Didn’t Etsebeth get two weeks for an “attempted” kiss on the cheek of Sharpe? Lends more weight to the argument that Kiwis get off lighter.
22 Nov 2012, 16:52 pm
@W.P-20: two weeks but only one match and he also didn’t get a card at the time, unlike Thompson. But we could argue for hours whether the kiss connected or not and we’ll never agree.
22 Nov 2012, 18:01 pm
@trupisero-18: Hahahahahaha, that is funny!
22 Nov 2012, 18:29 pm
@bokfan1-22: “Their not, Their hairy!”
Your over-enthusiastic laughter seems a little forced.
22 Nov 2012, 19:01 pm
Yeah Gonzo………….Etsebeth connected………so hard with Sharpe’s head that he didn’t even flinch. You could argue for hours. The difference is night and day. Stamping on someone’s head isn’t the same as an attempted push with the head.
22 Nov 2012, 19:14 pm
What has the world come to when you can’t even have fun with your neighbours anymore! :Woman racially abused New Zealand-born neighbour in Macclesfield- by calling her Australian
Stuart Greer
November 22, 2012
A woman racially abused her New Zealand-born neighbour – by calling her Australian.
Czech-born Petra Mills, 31, called Chelsea O’Reilly a ‘stupid fat Australian’ during a drunken tirade. The insult was witnessed by police officers who Mills herself had called after a domestic incident with her husband.
Mills, formerly of Bridge Street, Macclesfield, denied racially-aggravated public disorder but was found guilty after a trial at Macclesfield magistrates court. Miss O’Reilly, who is a British/New Zealand dual national, said she had been offended and insulted by Mills’ behaviour. Iain Mutch, prosecuting, told the court that Miss O’Reilly had heard banging and drilling.
He added: “Then there was screaming from Petra and a lot of running up and down the stairs before the front door slammed.”
The court heard that Mills fled her home and called the police from a phone box at the top of the road. When she arrived back home, police had arrested her husband, Michael, who was later released without charge. Miss O’Reilly told magistrates that Mills then stormed around to her house while she was making a statement to police.
She said: “She called me a stupid fat Australian b****. Because of my accent there can be some confusion over my nationality. She knew I was from New Zealand. She was trying to be offensive.” The court was told that two police officers heard Mills use the word ‘Australian’ during her drunken rant.
Mills said: “Yes, I shouted at her but it had nothing to do with racism. I did not used the word Australian. I used to live with an Australian person. She was very nice.”
Trevor Feehily, defending, said the offence was motivated by Mills’ anger at O’Reilly ‘snooping’ and not her nationality. Chairman of the bench Brian Donohue said: “You were in an emotional and inebriated state.
The word Australian was used.
It was racially aggravated and the main reason it was used was in hostility.”
Mills also admitted assaulting one of the police officers by kicking him.
Mills was fined £110 for racially aggravated public disorder and £200 for assaulting a police officer. She was also ordered to pay both her victims £50 compensation and £500 court costs.
22 Nov 2012, 19:23 pm
@wnbb-25: That is fr*cking funny. I get accidentally called Australian all the time by people who should know better. It’s the casual racism that hurts the most :_ (
22 Nov 2012, 19:24 pm
Read someone heard banging and drilling and was hoping for a 50 shades of Grey tipe story, talk about false advertising
22 Nov 2012, 19:56 pm
@gonzo-19:
Relax, I wasn’t referring to you. Check out the posts by HG and bokfan.
22 Nov 2012, 20:44 pm
@TooMuchRugby-28: I know, i was too. Don’t worry, I’m perfectly calm
22 Nov 2012, 21:52 pm
Should never have come to this
It was a 2-3 week ban
23 Nov 2012, 04:24 am
@Heavens Game-10:
And what would you know?
You are a wannabe South African.
Not even ow
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