Vagana gets 1 match

[_dan13_]

New Zealand stand-off Nigel Vagana was tonight handed a one-match ban for the tackle that left Great Britain scrum-half Paul Deacon with horrific facial injuries.

The 30-year-old Cronulla Sharks player was found guilty of a careless high tackle when he appeared in front of a specially-convened disciplinary panel at the Rugby Football League headquarters in Leeds.

Vagana, who was also fined £500, will serve the suspension when the Kiwis play France in Toulouse on Friday night, which means he will be free to play in the final of the Gillette Tri-Nations Series if either Great Britain or Australia are eliminated this weekend.

The Kiwis will play in the Elland Road decider if Britain either lose or beat the Kangaroos by more than eight points in the last group match at Hull on Saturday.

Vagana was placed on report - for the second time in the series - by Australian referee Tim Mander 23 minutes into New Zealand's 38-12 defeat by Britain in Huddersfield last Saturday for a high tackle that left Deacon needing reconstructive surgery to his cheekbone and the roof of his mouth.

Vagana, who has won 30 caps for the Kiwis, was referred by a video review panel to a three-man disciplinary committee, which delivered tonight's verdict.

It is the second time Vagana has faced the judiciary in the Tri-Nations Series. He was cited for an alleged spear tackle on Australian forward Trent Waterhouse in the Kiwis' opening 38-28 win in Sydney but escaped punishment.

Vagana's team David Solomona was handed a one-match ban for a dangerous tackle in the Kiwis' 42-26 win over Britain at Loftus Road.

 

[JJ]

perhaps a bit light, bit not too far from the mark...

 

[Fairleigh Good!]

It would be nice to see how they got round the clenched fist being involved in an accidental incident.

 

[Skinner]

Pretty close to what I thought.

Skinner

 

[Art Vanderlay]

The One match ban and 500GBP is the correct out come!

The IRLF cant go around and suspend players willy nilly we have a game against France find he cant play and fine him some c ash!!

And before people jump up and down the Ref at the time only place the tackle on report the ref said it 'may of been a bit high lets look at it'........and they did, Deacon okay has a few screws and a broken nose (not good) but at the time of the game the ref only put the incident on report.

He Nigel was not marched off the field or sin binned, its the right out come for a Test match. (club game then yes differnt rules)

 

[Parrasque]

but Moimoi gets 9 weeks

 

[Scott]

Random! You really do have to wonder what is doing??

 

[Pierced Soul]

he appears to have friends in high places...

 

[JJ]

but Moimoi gets 9 weeks

different panel I guess... more wrong with the length of Moimoi's suspension than Vagana's

 

[Fairleigh Good!]

If NZ were out of the competition then he would have received a much, much larger ban.

Lets face it these days any player who had a chance of playing in the Final would be let off for pretty much anything bar a physical assault on the referee.

 

[cookie36]

I would love to have seen the comments if it was an aussie after an incident against a kiwi. How many conspiracy theories would have come up then?

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Just saw 2 more replays of the tackle on the news. Looks totally innocuous. I applaud the judiciary for not taking the injuries suffered into account.

 

[screeny]

Watched the game for the first time yesterday on French telly and they only showed one replay. To me, without any close analysis, it looks like most ordinary mistimed tackles, so I have no dramas with the outcome......

 

[Bullseye]

May have looked innocuous and may have been careless and mis-timed but still caused horrific damage and against the rules.

Paul Deacon will be having Christmas dinner through a straw.

Perhaps a longer ban would encourage players to work on their technique to avoid this kind of thing happening?

Or must a player end up in a wheelchair or worse before anything happens?

 

[Fairleigh Good!]

I agree Bullseye.

It won't be long before someone receives life ending injuries from a high tackle. Vagana can't get away with 'careless' as his fist was closed. You don't close the fist when you are attempting a rugby tackle.

I take it you won't be supportive of Terry Newton when he starts trying to kill people he's jealous of next season?

 

[Humphrey]

Just saw 2 more replays of the tackle on the news. Looks totally innocuous. I applaud the judiciary for not taking the injuries suffered into account.

Thats crap! he deserved a bigger ban and now wait and see what will happen. One of the Kiwis will be hit high with a closed fist get damaged well be up in arms over it and whoever does it will get off. And that will be called justice by the aussies and Pommies

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

I agree Bullseye.

It won't be long before someone receives life ending injuries from a high tackle. Vagana can't get away with 'careless' as his fist was closed. You don't close the fist when you are attempting a rugby tackle.

I take it you won't be supportive of Terry Newton when he starts trying to kill people he's jealous of next season?

What do you mean "it won't be long"?

People have been playing rugby league for over 100 years and it used to be a lot more violent than it is now, so I'd hardly say we are heading down a slippery slope.

 

[screeny]

A lot of times in RL players clench their fist when tackling. Last year I smacked my own halfback full in the face with a clench fist as we both tackled the same player.

The last week I punched my team's new HB in the face while tackling. Either I have a deep seated anxiety when it comes to HBs, or, accident's happen.

In Vagana's case, I personally believe he's a bit of a bastard when it comes to this type of thing and mean to whack Deacon in the face, but the point is, on video evidence from that one incident alone, it's no worse or different to many, many tackles.

Deacon was going down and as Vagana was joining a tackle already in progress it was easier to miscalculate. Plus, he doesn't actually hit Deacon with his fist, but his forearm.

 

[***MH***]

would anyone agree that 3 nrl matches would be worth 1 test match in terms of suspension?
considering that international test matches are so rare, that missing out on one test match would be a harsher punishment than missing out on just one seasonal fixture...

 

[innsaneink]

would anyone agree that 3 nrl matches would be worth 1 test match in terms of suspension?
considering that international test matches are so rare, that missing out on one test match would be a harsher punishment than missing out on just one seasonal fixture...

We have the real test matches and then these nothing tests with France, NZ Residents, Aust A etc which are really nothing more than trial games, sure they may count in the record books, some of them...but Nigel most likely wouldve missed that French game anyway.
Dirty foul play has no place in the game at any level, U9's ...NRL or International, a bit of biffo is one thing but cheap high shots should attract severe penalties regardless of the level of footy.