Cheika furious at Hodge’s ban
AUSSIE COACH HITS OUT AT PANEL’S TACKLE RULING
MICHAEL CHEIKA unloaded on World Rugby yesterday in an extraordinary rant based on the governing body’s handling of the Recce Hodge incident.
The Australia head coach was left incensed after his winger was banned for three weeks by a disciplinary panel following a dangerous high hit which left Fiji’s Peceli Yato concussed.
It was the tackle that has sparked mayhem at the World Cup — leading to the governing body calling out their own referees for not sanctioning Hodge on the field.
The citing panel’s verdict was that the hit warranted a red card and, in the notes from Hodge’s hearing, they wrote: ‘The player conceded that he had no effective knowledge of World Rugby’s “Decision-making framework for high tackles”; had not been trained on it; was not across it because the tackles he makes are predominantly in the waist to knees area.’
That verdict — and the wording of it — has infuriated Cheika, whose team face Wales in a crucial Pool D match tomorrow.
‘If there is one bloke they (World Rugby) are not listening to, it’s me, no matter what language I speak to them in,’ he said.
‘I want to say something about some chat around Australia not speaking to the players about the ‘tackling framework’. The judge put that bit in there.
‘I do not know why. Hodge’s already nervous enough as it is (in the hearing). When people are asking you questions and you have done nothing wrong, you are nervous and may not have answers to all the questions on the tip of your tongue.
‘People are making a point about us, so we thought we would make one back — a bit of tennis. I want to make a couple of points: the framework is for referees, not the players, to decide whether there are red or yellow cards in a game.
‘The officials are using that framework very well in matches. Our players are coached to tackle in the middle. We do not need the framework to tell them how to tackle.
‘We are not teaching anyone to tackle other than the middle where they can dislodge the ball.
‘There are people starving out there but (World Rugby) flew a QC over. But I do not care what World Rugby are doing.’
Australia may yet choose to appeal Hodge’s ban and Cheika will use this us-against-the-world attitude to fire up his players for their crunch clash with the Welsh.
‘We are not going to let them get to us,’ he added. ‘I am not going to be put off course by anyone, not the man chairing the hearing or anyone else. I am with my players. I am respected by my players and together we will battle away.
‘I am as disappointed as Reece is but no obstacle will derail us. No one believes that what Reece did met the red-card threshold because of the framework they have in place.’
While Cheika was raging, his opposite number in tomorrow’s showdown, Wales head coach Warren Gatland, also expressed his sympathy for Hodge.
‘We had a briefing in Wales before the World Cup about how it was going to be refereed and viewed,’ he said. ‘I do feel for players because you can get yourself in an awkward position and you end up making a high tackle. You could get sent off and it could cost your team the game or you could miss a few games.
‘Particularly in the heat of the battle, some players can make a mistake, so we do need a little bit of sympathy but we’re continually driving that message to our players about discipline.
‘I do feel for Reece. You saw the incident in real-time and it didn’t look like much but then you slow it down on replays and it looks a bit more sinister. He’s been unfortunate and got a ban.’
Wales full-back Liam Williams added: ‘If you go to tackle high and get someone around the neck or head, you know what’s coming.’