From The Times.co.za:
Craig Ray Published:Sep 13, 2007
A top London QC was flown to Paris yesterday — on South African tycoon Johann Rupert’s private jet — to defend Schalk Burger in the Bok star’s appeal against a four-match Rugby World Cup suspension.
John McCochran, a senior British barrister, will argue Burger’s case early today at a special hearing in the French capital.
He was flown across the channel in the luxury jet of Stellenbosch billionaire Rupert, chairman of the Swiss-based but SA-rooted Richemont luxury goods group. Rupert is a close friend of Burger’s father, Schalk senior, and a strong backer of Bok coach Jake White.
Burger was given a four-game suspension at a disciplinary hearing in Paris, which lasted until midnight on Tuesday. He had been cited by match commissioner Douglas Hines for an allegedly dangerous tackle on Samoan scrumhalf Junior Polu during Sunday’s match which the Boks won 59-7.
Burger was penalised by referee Paul Honiss — but Rugby World Cup citing rules allow for him to be punished twice for the same offence.
The four-game ban has angered White, whose initial reaction was to consider withdrawing the Boks from the tournament. White said the punishment smacked of a “smear campaign” against the Boks.
“I was so angry … my initial reaction was to withdraw the team and come home,” White told The Times. “There appears to be a bias against the Springboks because I saw much worse this weekend [in World Cup matches].”
Unless McCochran persuades the appeal board to overturn the ban, Burger will be ruled out of the World Cup until the semifinals, if the Boks progress to that stage.
Burger was the third player at this World Cup to be hit with a ban.
The others were England captain Phil Vickery, who will not contest his two-match ban for tripping US centre Phil Emerick, and Emerick himself, who was banned for five games for a spear tackle on England flyhalf Olly Barkley.
White contrasted Burger’s heavy punishment with Vickery’s light sentence.
“Phil Vickery received only a two-match ban for kicking an opponent — how is it possible that Schalk gets four weeks for contesting the ball? And [Samoan player] Brian Lima wasn’t even cited, even though he nearly took Andre Pretorius’ head off with a tackle in which he didn’t use his arms.
“ The judicial officer [Terry Willis] was an Australian and we might play Australia in the quarterfinals. What does that suggest?
“There is clearly a campaign against the Springboks.”
No comments:
Post a Comment