Jamie Cudmore slapped with 10-week ban
Canadian rugby star Jamie Cudmore has been slapped with a heavy ban for having been found guilty of stamping. Cudmore, who plays for Clermont Auvergne in the lock position, is barred from competition for
10 weeks because of having allegedly kicked and stood on Saracens flanker Jacques Burger’s face in last Saturday’s Heineken Cup clash.
Simon Thomas, the independent judicial officer attached to the hearing, called it a “top end” foul, which caused Burger to need stitches on the mouth after the incident. The hearing was organised by the European
Rugby Cup, the group that organises the Heineken Cup. Cudmore had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge, but with video evidence stacked against him the case was all but a formality.
This isn’t the first time Cudmore’s been in hot water. He has four red cards to his name, and in 2008 had to sit out five weeks for punching Munster’s Paul O’Connell. That poor disciplinary record also factored
into his current suspension, and Thomas was said to have made it a 10-week rather than nine-week suspension as a result.
The suspension is unwelcome news for Clermont Auvergne, the defending champions in the Heineken Cup, which is a season-long competition between the best rugby union teams from across Europe. The Canadian
lock will only be back on 20 December, meaning the team will lose Cudmore for a multitude of important matches. In the French Top 14 league he’ll miss four games and in the Heineken Cup three important games: next Saturday’s match against Racing Metro, and
two upcoming games against Leinster.
Unfortunately for Cudmore’s home country, the Canadian rugby team will also miss their lock in upcoming Test matches against Belgium, Spain, Georgia and Portugal.
The only silver lining in this matter is that, as defending champs, Clermont Auvergne has better depth than many other teams, lessening the blow somewhat. With Julien Pierre, Thibault Privat and Loic Jacquet
as locks on the roster, they can survive, but the loss of Cudmore is still unwelcome.
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