CLERMONT AUVERGNE FLANKER Viktor Kolelishvili has been hit with a 14-week suspension after a disciplinary hearing in Paris today.
The openside was cited for a push on referee Wayne Barnes during Clermont’s Champions Cup defeat to Ospreys on Friday.
World Rugby sanctions under Law 10.4 (m) – ‘acts contrary to good sportsmanship’ – outline a low end entry point of 24 weeks, and this was the punishment levied at Kolelishvili.
Ireland’s David Martin was the presiding judicial officer in Paris today and he found that the Georgian’s offence warranted a red card.
Martin arrived at the figure of 14 weeks after adding two weeks to the sanction for a total of 26 weeks. The ban was then ‘reduced by half’ on account of the 26-year-old’s immediate apology to Barnes and subsequent guilty plea at today’s hearing.
The suspension means Kolelishvili is not permitted to play until 25 April 2016 and so will miss Clermont’s Champions Cup round six clash with Bordeaux as well as the quarter-final and semi-final if the Top 14 side make it that far in the competition.
Kolelishvili will next be available to Jono Gibbes’ pack when Racing Metro welcome Clermont to Paris on 30 April.
best of luck to him. he has left a great template. 8 months of negotiations? feel sorry they dragged him through it for that long. probably had no intention of giving him whatever he wanted
A lot of unanswered questions in this saga. Very regrettable that Billy Walsh has resigned as Irish coach.
The IBAA will have a lot of explaining to do, how this situation wasn’t resolved.
Will Billy take more of his back room staff with him is the next question
it most likely will never be explained officially. most likely a case of one man becoming bigger than the organisation and the administrators can’t have that! not in this country anyway. a familiar end to an Irish success story.
You can almost hear their conversation – “Who the hell does Walsh think he is, look ah’ him, prancin’ around Doha like he runs the whole organisation, makin’ it ouhh like he’s the reason our boxers are doin’ so well, like it was all his ideas. Well it’s time to soften his cough and get rid ohh’ him. You watch, we’ll be grand, didn’t need him, he’s got too big for his boots!”
Well it wasn’t just money. The ability to pick your team as a coach and not need to have it ” ratified” by the boxing council is not much to ask.
The boxers will feel this the hardest and fair play to him he waited till after the world’s to announce his decision. He’ll be coaching the USA mens team before ya know it.