AUSTRALIA HAVE BEEN dealt a blow ahead of their Rugby World Cup Pool D showdown against Wales as long-range goal-kicking winger Reece Hodge has been banned for three matches for a high tackle in the Wallabies’ opening game against Fiji.
Fiji were leading 11-7 when Hodge charged into Peceli Yato, leaving the Fiji flanker concussed.
The Wallabies wing went on to score a try and kick a penalty as Australia won 39-21.
Hodge was cited after the match and went before an independent disciplinary committee in Tokyo on Wednesday.
The ban means the 25-year-old Melbourne Rebels player, capable of slotting in anywhere in the backline, will miss Australia’s remaining three Pool D games against Wales on Sunday, Uruguay in Oita on 5 October and Georgia in Shizuoka six days later.
The disciplinary committee “deemed that the incident was an act of foul play and warranted a red card in line with the high tackle sanction framework”, World Rugby said in a statement.
Breaking: Reece Hodge has been cited for this tackle on Peceli Yato 🤕 #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/c9CYfluK0S
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) September 22, 2019
It added that the tackle was “reckless, rather than deliberate”, but contact with the head meant a high degree of danger.
Given Hodge’s “exemplary disciplinary record, good character and conduct at the hearing, the committee reduced the six-match entry point by three matches”.
Fiji’s shock 30-27 defeat by Uruguay on Wednesday has now shaped Pool D into a straight contest between Australia and Wales to seal the winner and runners-up spots to reach the quarter-finals, for which Hodge would be eligible.
Assistant coach Nathan Grey said earlier Wednesday that the Australian management were “pretty confident the judicial system will look after itself”.
“We’ll have to deal with that whatever the outcome is,” Grey added.
You’d be crazy as a management not to manage both ways, so whether he’s there or not, we’ll be ready to go.”
Full-back Kurtley Beale said he was “confident Reece will have a fair hearing”, adding that the players had not discussed it.
“As a player, you want your team-mate to play. I think Reece has done a fantastic job on the wing.
To his credit, he really threw himself into those tackles. He’s got no malice in trying to go out there and do wrongdoing.”
Hodge’s potential absence, Beale said, would be more than made up for by Dane Haylett-Petty, who enjoyed an eye-catching cameo against Fiji off the bench.
“We’re confident as a back three, whoever’s in those positions, we will get the job done,” Beale said.
I think it’s hilarious all the hating on Robbie on this. People seem to forget he’s the only player we have who can nick a goal. Granted we have more technical strikers but it’s all about scoring and Robbie is the only source we have
Have a lot more time for Robbie than Roy, yet some people still slag Robbie and rubbish his achievements with Ireland while at the same time worshiping at the altar of Roy. Never in a million years will another Irishman ever score 66 goals for his country, and deep down we all know that.
Robbie never let us down.
To be honest I think we will be just fine without Robbie keane
If we don’t play Darren in goal, Sol won’t be happy!!
Good article but I’d have to disagree that spurs have used 4-4-2 effectively.
McGeady & McLean or Walters. Its the one position we have a few options
Walters is chronic
Forde
Coleman – Clark – O’Shea – Wilson
McCarthy – Reid – Meyler
McGeady – Long – McClean
Would be a good shout.
Randolph
O’Shea Dunne Wilson
Coleman Brady
Mccarthy Meyler
Reid
Long Keane
Brady will not play again this season so you’ll have to find someone else!
personally I think our best 11 is
Given
Coleman-Dunne-O’Shea-Brady
McCarthy-Gibson
McGeady-Hoolahan-Pilkington
Long
brady left back?! given back in nets?
randolph
coleman – oshea – wilson – delaney
mccarthy – meyler
mcgeady – hoolahan – brady
long
would be a good team for tomorrow night – our best team; im not sure what it is – but what its not
@Brendan, Brady has played left wing back for Hull for the past 2 and a bit seasons and it would be a good balance with Coleman at lb, after all Wilson is right footed so Brady would provide more delivery’s. And why not Given?hes shown in the past couple of months hes still well capable of producing great performance. Im all for Forde but his distribution can be rubbish at times
Delaney is back at his club!
… so is Brady!
I disagree that Hoolihan could only be accommodated in a 4-5-1. He could play in a 4-4-3 or a 4-2-3-1 which given the players currently available to Ireland might be the way forward. There are a few players out tomorrow with injuries but going forward my first choice Irish 11 would be
Forde
Coleman, Dunne, O’Shea, Wilson
Gibson, McCarthy
McGeady, Reid or Hoolihan, Brady
Long
I think that Pilkington could do a job on either side of the 3 as could Walters at a push.
That was meant to be 4-3-3* of course :) tho maybe we could sneak an extra player in, who knows
agreed, best looking line-up there, for the near future at least anyway.
As the article suggested, having McCarthy and Gibson sit in front of the back 4 would be great to utilize one of our best attacking options – right-back Coleman. McCarthy too has been excellent in that sitting position for Everton
Need to start playing Clark, as the only decent centre back we have under 30, the more international gametime he get the better.
Think we’d be better concentrating on the players actually available tomorrow rather than playing pie-in-the-sky selections for the future.
Hopefully it’s the last we see of Paul Green
Long up Front alone is just madness, where on earth are the goals going to come from.
Good player as part of a duo, but terrible goal scoring record at every level…..forget qualifying for anything with him up front alone.
Lewandovski is miles ahead of him.
Yeah and he plays for Poland so we ‘re fooked there boss!
I would like to see use play with wing backs with 3 in the centre of the park and 3 in the centre of defence. Has been utilised to good effect by the like of Hull and Villa recently, particularly when taking on the bigger teams giving you stability at the back and a chance to pack the midfield (both places we have struggled recently).