ENGLAND HOOKER DYLAN Hartley has been cleared to play in next year’s Six Nations after receiving just a three-week ban for elbowing Leicester’s Matt Smith at the weekend.
Hartley pleaded guilty to the charge of striking Smith while playing for Northampton in their Premiership win over Leicester on Saturday.
The Saints captain faced the prospect of being handed a long suspension given his poor disciplinary record, but a Rugby Football Union hearing, held via conference call on Tuesday, opted for a more lenient approach.
A ban of six weeks or more would have jeopardised Hartley’s chances of appearing in the Six Nations, which gets underway with England’s clash against Wales in early February.
Ireland welcome England to Dublin on 1 March 2015.
Regardless, his international future remains uncertain in light of a previous disciplinary rap sheet including eye-gouging, biting, punching and swearing.
Here’s his roll of shame:
- April 2007: Banned for 26 weeks after gouging Wasps’ duo James Haskell and Jonny O’Connor.
- March 2012: Banned for eight weeks for biting Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris during Six Nations match.
- June 2012: Yellow-carded in first game as England captain against South Africa.
- December 2012: Given a two-week ban for striking Ulster’s Rory Best.
- May 2013: Eleven-week ban after being sent off for swearing at the referee, which cost him a place in the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia — his place went to Best.
Best news this week so far.
@Charles Malone: depends what it is replaced by. If it is terrestrial TV, great. If its a GAA Go style model, where you pay €10-15 euro per match, then the bickering is about to go through the ceiling.
Be careful what you wish for. Not all change is good.
Could now be the time for a national provider to just have a sports only channel, having weekly highlights and preview shows, including the live games. When live sport is not on, show other games from previous years such as past finals or club games, highlights, best clips of the weeks, interviews etc. The opportunities could be endless and not just limited to GAA.
@Kieran Dorgan: go get elected dude
@Kieran Dorgan: the bill could also be endless and I don’t think a good move, it would be great, but just the cost for something that people would genuinely watch could be high.
@Kieran Dorgan: IT would be like Reeling in the Years for GAA fans
Great to see the end of that partnership ! The GAA has done the right thing !
@Paul Power: maybe, but there is no quarantee that Rte will cover the games that Sky would have covered
@Stephen Cowley: I’d actually say that RTE won’t get it. Some streaming service provider more than likely
@Paul Power: it’s actually terrible news…nobody will invest and we’ll end up paying for another stupid streaming service to watch games.
@Andy O’B: Yeah, people think it was Sky who stopped other Irish broadcasters from showing the games when it was TV3 themselves who walked away from the rights in 2013
@Paul Power: now if only they can sort out the angry parents…all we be good
@Paul Power: you think the GAA made this call?
@Padraic Burke: i think the GAA did make this call !
When greed meets greed.
@Niall Mac An Airchinnigh: That makes no sense.
Not sure why people are assuming RTE, or any other FTA broadcaster, is just going to pick up the Sky games.
In theory they could end up on GAAGO or some other similar service
I think RTE and Virgin media should share the rights. Lot’s off elderly fan’s don’t or can afford sky for years. So both Irish channels should bang your head and get into partnership.
@Simon Dwyer: not just the elderly either who can’t afford sky sports anymore
@Simon Dwyer: you need to use a better auto translate service
@Simon Dwyer: What should happen for the greater good will never actually happen in a capitalist society. The rights will be sold to the highest bidder and you’ll be peddled some nonsense about how locking games behind a streaming service is actually great news for the GAA.
I guess the Sky is no longer the limit of the GAA’s ambition
Al jazeera for sure
Back to only dublin and kerry games on tv and 5 seconds of highlights.
Can’t see RTE picking up the games Sky have dropped. They will go OTT. A real shame and just a money spinner
Does that mean we’ll actually be able to see GAA matches on our own national channels? Amazing!!!!!
@Anna Carr: No, far from it. I can’t see RTE wanting to extend their courage, and I doubt TG4 have the budget considering their excellent underage coverage. VM is a possibility depending on whether they think it’s worth it.
They could just end up on an OTT service like many sports rights these days
@Brian Burke: Dammit… Thanks for the info anyway :)
@Anna Carr: More live GAA games on free to air TV then ever in the history of the GAA but don’t let facts get in the way.
No mention of the diaspora who the GAA said it was selling it’s soul for..it’s the poor older people who never even heard of sky who were denied the chance to see their county team play in the all Ireland series..so much for grassroots…a money grab …nothing more nothing less !!!.
I wonder if their will be a push to find another UK wide broadcaster for Irish communities in Britain!
@Craig Williamson: GAAGo exists now the landscape is very different. This will only improve that service as well currently you can’t access any games where Sky has exclusive UK broadcasting rights. So no All Ireland finals or semi finals on top of a bunch of others.
An unintended consequence of the shortened season. Also “puke football” not attractive to Sky audiences.
@Leonard O’mahony: yeah, thoughts and prayers for those in the UK who said “Lets give this Gaelic Football a look” only to end up watching a low scoring Ulster football match or a whitewash in another province”…..
@John Murphy: Some great games in Ulster this year.
The grab all association meets the grab even more association!
@Paul Owens: 75 million for an average Premier player grab that ?
@Paul Owens: this is the problem with the gaa …im not a gaa support but they always seem to think short term..next tick sale’s… again im not into the gaa at all but it seems to be very political at the top.. kind of an old boys club that resist Chang … that’s just an outsider’s view from reading media…but surely they have the money and no how to produce and broadcast themselves…long term it has to bring in revenue?
@Patrick Malone: Not sure what u mean to be honest,,money in soccer is madness at the top alright but it is the world’s national sport,,gaa is just well ..gaa
@Paul Owens: Do mean the association that pumps millions into the Irish economy and saves the Irish economy millions,on sky,don’t pay for it if you don’t want it.
BEIN Sports no doubt
Amazon Prime perhaps
@Kevin Kilroy: Christy Rings of Power
Gaa are a big enough out fit .. they should produce and broadcast themselves.. buy time on stations…if RTE take it it will become an absolute mess and the first thing they will say is we need to up the license to fund it
@Dave Ryan: Look at the GAA accounts,they publish it every year for everyone to see.
Great news. Wonder will Fuzzy Media (AKA Virgin Media) go for it?
Thank God. Please let RTE do the same .
Well, gonna be less games on TV now as no chance RTE will pick up extra games. Virgin Media may jump in but I’d say they would want full rights as wouldn’t be worth it to them otherwise
Sky IMO had much better analysis than RTE.
It’s time for the GAA to invest in GAA GO, I’d happily pay a subscription monthly if it includes all national League, championship and intercounty games when possible
Over continues the conversation, Out ends it. Their mutually exclusive. Rodger Maurice
I’m sure Sky wanted everything their way
DAZN material
Maybe Virgin will take it. The Gaa has to jake up the lost revenue from somewhere.