Was Cannon the only culprit?

Monday July 19 2004

'This was all Eddie Jones's fault'

SANZAR's decision to ban Australia hooker Brendan Cannon has triggered a flurry of emails from our readers. It's not that they condone the hefty right-hook that the Wallaby threw at his opposite number during the Tri-Nations clash with New Zealand on Saturday, they just seem to take umbrage with the seemingly capricious legal system. The major accusation is that officials are guilty of perceiving some animals to be just a wee bit more equal than others.

'IT'S ALL A FARCE'

"Brendan Cannon received a fair ban for his actions. What is incomprehensible is that Carlos Spencer walked away without at least the same punishment.

"When one considers that he was not part of the initial confrontation, but joined in afterwards. The barrage of uppercuts that he threw was more disgraceful than Cannon's lone punch.

"Once again one ponders over the ever increasing inconsistent punishment dealt out by the Judicial Circus."
- Tex Teixeira, Gauteng, South Africa

"I'm surely not alone in wondering over the glaring inconsistency in the punishing of Simon Shaw and Brendan Cannon's respective foul play.

"Shaw did virtually nothing and gets red-carded on the touch-judge's advice given at a distance. Cannon throws a huge punch in sight of the referee and only gets a yellow.

"No wonder people complain of victimisation and inconsistency. I also wonder how the press will report on this - who's contributing 'services to thugby' now then?"
- Simon King, UK 

"These 'week' suspensions are crap. Cannon should have been suspended for two games, not for two weeks.

"We all know that Harrison is not the smartest player on the pitch, but Spencer and Marshall's retaliation was not appropriate, it's really easy for three players to punch a single one. Spencer and Marshall deserves also a suspension.

"If two players are fighting, let them do so like in ice-hockey - and after a couple of noses and cheekbones broken, players will understand that punching each other is stupid.

"I am really looking forward Eddie's comment about the citing process (a South African and two Kiwis in the committee). C'mon Eddie it's a conspiracy ... again!?"
- T-Bone, France

"If it had been a South African - there would have been a lynching - life imprisonment with no chance of parole.  Just like the Poms the Aussies are always whinging about how dirty everyone else is - now the truth surfaces. 

"Eddie Jones just take your medicine like a man. If you were to look up the word plonker in the dictionary it would say 'see Eddie Jones'."
- Jamie, South Africa

"Cannon should have had company in suspension. Inconsistent application of the rules is a blight on every game."
- Geoffrey Evans, Sydney

"Cannon deserves his two-week break (bloody good shot that) but what about the very, very cheap shots from Justin Marshall and Carlos Spencer, the second and third men into the altercation, who threw dozens of uppercuts into a defenceless Cannon? The decision not to cite either of them is despicable and cowardly.

"Australia deserved to lose but to have this rubbed in their face was pathetic."
- Hayden Lilienthal, Perth, Australia
 
"Oh the irony! We've had to put up with whingeing little toad, Eddie Jones, castigate England and the Pacific Islanders for their so-called 'thugby', and now this! 'We won't be resorting to bully-boy tactics...blah, blah, blah.' Well, you sanctimonious little s##t, I would strongly suggest you remove your foot from your mouth so you can stick a sock in it."
- Graham Mitchell, Perth, Australia

Eddie Jones still doesn't see anything wrong with the Aussie players - to him they are whiter than white. For my opinion they are the dirtiest team in world rugby whenever things don't go well with them."
- Jumbodancer, New Zealand

"What happened to the other five New Zealand player whom gang bashed Cannon after the punch? They should have been at least yellow-carded."
- Jonathan Baker, New Zealand

"The decision to suspend Brendan Cannon and not to even cite multiple retaliators sends a strong message that throwing the first punch does not pay.

"Anybody contemplating starting a fight this Tri-Nations can expect not only to miss the next test, but can anticipate retaliation from any number of players who essentially have a license to kill (or at least badly injure) the perpetrator.

"By tolerating retaliation, SANZAR has set the strongest possible incentives for players not to fight. The only question is whether players are smart enough to respond."
- Matt Burgess, Wellington, New Zealand

"Watch the replay. Cannon seems to have received Maulama's finger in his eye before he threw the punch. The officials should also have a look at players standing outside the ruck in an on-side position being 'cleaned out'.

"Surely that's a penalty for playing the man without the ball. The All Blacks have this to a fine art. Watch Robinson - that's why he got a knee in his back! The officials should return to the law that all players entering a ruck or maul MUST be bound."
- Twojays, New Zealand

"I could swear I saw (on TV) Mealamu start the fracas. What gives?"
- Bjorn Stumer, USA

"I don't understand how Cannon only got two weeks for punching. That's ridiculous - how did Venter get 8 weeks for a head-butt?

"Canon's punch was malicious, blatant and pure thuggery. But I guess his saving grace is that he isn't South African, else the media would be up in arms about thuggery and those dirty saffies.

"When the powers that be set up an international tribunal that hands out fair and equitable suspensions for specific acts wake me up ... until then it's all a farce."
- Ruan Malan, Winnipeg Canada

"How is coach Eddie Jones going to defend Cannon's cracker, not that the NZ doesn't ask for a little attention. What was amazing though was Mealamu hardly flinched. Hard man to drop, congratulations to him, it must have frustrated Cannon and really pissed off Jones."
- Nick Watson, Italy

"Brendan, you're a great player but tell me what use will you be from the sidelines over the next two weeks. Wake up!

"C'mon Aussie forwards, muck in - this is rugby not football! Otherwise it is going to be a long Tri-Nations."
- Koala Byte, Australia

"It's all Eddie's fault. Eddie Jones' pre-game attacks on the All Blacks have all come back to haunt him including his comment that Keith Robinson was seen as a hard man because he punched opponents and that he (St Eddie) doesn't encourage his players to do that.

"Cannon's punch was either a one in a million deviation from Eddie's tight control of the team or his control isn't as good as he thought it was. In fact he told the media his players would take action against the All Blacks alleged illegalities if they attempted to prevent Wallabies from coming through rucks. If that didn't mean punching them what did it mean?

"Eddie doesn't seem to realise that referees like Alain Rolland are quite intelligent and are used to Eddie's pre-game tactics of smearing some aspect of the opponent's play in the hope the referee would look out for that aspect during the game.

"In fact, I think they have become immune to the pre-game whinges from Eddie and just block their ears. I reckon Eddie has moved in front of Sir Clive as the biggest smearer of opposition players in the lead up to test matches.

"It might serve the Wallabies better if someone who is better at handling the media is given the job of smearing the opposing teams or take a leaf out of Graham Henry's book and simply don't do it."
- Murray Campbell, Australia