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'Are you having a laugh?': Penny cops ban for Newcastle red card

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Newcastle full-back Tom Penny has been banned for two matches after appearing at a disciplinary hearing following his 49th-minute red card from referee Anthony Woodthorpe in last Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership win over Wasps at Kingston Park. Penny was sent packing for contact with the eye area of Jimmy Gopperth, contrary to World Rugby law 9.12.  

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Falcons boss Dean Richards defended his player post-game, claiming: “Tom is distraught in the changing room because he didn’t think anything was deliberate. His leg was trapped in by Jimmy Gopperth, and you have got to look at who the instigator of the whole thing was. 

“Tom tried to release his leg three times and couldn’t. As he was stumbling away and breaking free, he pushes his face and catches I think his eye. Jimmy makes a meal of it and if there is contact with the eye then so be it. It wasn’t deliberate and you have to look at who the protagonist is. It’s clearly Jimmy Gopperth, and why should our boy get penalised for being held in at a ruck?”

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At the resulting disciplinary hearing, Newcastle back Penny accepted the charge and was given a two-match suspension by a panel comprising James Dingemans with Mitch Read and Leon Lloyd. He is free to play again on October 19. In addition, Penny was given a reprimand in relation to a separate charge brought under RFU rule 5.12 for disrespecting the authority of the match official by questioning, “Are you having a laugh?”

The full judgment from the hearing stated: “The player did not intend to make contact with the eye, but the action was reckless because he made contact with the face of the Wasps player close to the eye. The comments made to the match official were intentionally made because the player made the remark.”

Penny explained in his defence: “As I tried to release myself, Wasps No12 then gripped me harder pulling my left leg closer to the ruck, refusing to allow me to leave. His grip on my leg, neck and shoulder area was becoming dangerous as I tried more and more to release myself, my left leg was unsteady and ineffective as he had held on to it and all my weight because other people had joined the ruck was starting to move onto that left leg.

“Without looking at him I pushed him with an open hand around the shoulder area to force him to release me. Panicking, I pushed him once more on the shoulder and once again on the top side of his head area, both with an open palm and was just about to move away when his left leg swung through and hit my supporting outside knee causing it to jolt sideways about three feet. It wasn’t an insignificant blow from his knee, it caught my knee in which I have had an ACL repair and the initial pain caused me to react by leaning back to push him on his head once more.

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“As I pushed his head while still unsteady having been knocked sideways, I now believe my little finger caught him in the eye. I wasn’t aware that I had caught him in the eye at the time and it certainly wasn’t my intention and totally felt that I was never going to be anywhere near it, but had I not been off-balance I know I certainly wouldn’t have been as I am not that type of person.

“I was looking at him at the time so I was surprised when I was told by the referee that I had made contact with the eye. I spoke to the player post-match and apologised to him. He seemed fine about it, saying it was just rugby. I am not happy about making contact with the eye and am angry that the whole incident happened in the first place.”

A four-week entry point was determined for sanction which was subsequently halved, meaning Penny will miss the Newcastle matches versus Saracens and Bristol. “We have provided the maximum mitigation in this case because the player admitted the breaches; the player has a good disciplinary record; and the player has cooperated with the disciplinary process,” read the panel’s summary.

“Although the player’s comment to the referee in relation to the first offence and the red card was disrespectful, the player is being separately sanctioned for that and it would not be appropriate to penalise the player twice for the same conduct.”

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Comments

1 Comment
N
Neale 1135 days ago

Disciplinary panels in England are a joke. Jordie Barrett kung-foo's an Aussie in the face and gets off, Ted Hill and Penney get reds for accidental offences and get banned for three and two weeks. Go figure.

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J
JPM 38 minutes ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 40 minutes ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

10 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
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