WORLD CUP FALLOUT
THE FALLOUT FROM THE WORLD CUP
qualifying match between Spain and Belgium continues, with World Rugby having handed out a number of lengthy suspensions.
Five Spanish players have received bans ranging between 14 and 43 weeks for abusing the referee during their controversial 18-10 loss to Belgium in March.
The Spanish players were outraged at the final whistle, believing they had been harshly and unfairly treated by Romanian referee Vlad Lordachescu, who had penalised them 18 times during the encounter.
That in itself wasn’t the problem – it was the knowledge that because Spain lost the game, it meant Romania qualified for the 2019 World Cup instead.
Spain had come into the game with Belgium knowing victory would have secured them a spot in Japan next year.
The Spanish Rugby Federation have demanded a replay of the match, while World Rugby have ordered a commission of inquiry in to the events that day.
Meanwhile, a Rugby Europe Independent Judicial Committee met on Tuesday to consider the cases of the players with replacement Sebastien Rouet suspended for 43 weeks and his brother, Guillaume, who started the game, copping 36 for physically and verbally abusing the referee.
Flanks Pierre Barthere and Lucas Guillaume, and first-five Mathieu Belie were found guilty of ‘threatening actions/words at a match o cial’ and each banned for 14 weeks.