French rugby’s governing body have reached out to World Rugby seeking clarity over the ban imposed on Garry Ringrose during the Six Nations, amidst allegations of double standards. The French officials have voiced their frustration after an Irish international had a club match included in his ban, while a French player had a club game excluded from his ban earlier in the tournament.
Leinster centre, Ringrose, was shown a red card during Ireland’s victory over Wales in Cardiff last week, following a head contact with Ben Thomas. Initially given a yellow card, it was later upgraded to a 20-minute red card after an off-field review, allowing Ireland to bring Bundee Aki on as a replacement.
Ringrose received a three-match suspension after being charged with foul play under Law 9.13, which prohibits early, late or dangerous tackles. The ban could be reduced to two matches if he completes World Rugby’s coaching intervention programme, also known as tackle school.
With only two rounds of Six Nations fixtures remaining, this should theoretically be a long enough ban to rule Ringrose out for the rest of the tournament. However, the initial three-match ban included Leinster’s United Rugby Championship victory over Cardiff at the weekend, meaning that while he’ll miss the upcoming clash with France, he’ll be available for their final match of the tournament against Italy.
The French Rugby Federation (FFR) is up in arms over the decision to include a United Rugby Championship (URC) game as part of Ringrose’s suspension, which they believe contrasts unfairly with the treatment of France’s Romain Ntamack. The fly-half was unable to use a Top 14 match to reduce his ban after being sent off for a high tackle against Wales earlier in the Six Nations.
While Ringrose will have one game discounted for attending a tackling workshop, Ntamack missed two crucial matches due to the exclusion of Toulouse’s game during a break in the tournament.
FFR vice-president Jean-Marc Lhermet expressed his dismay to Midi Olympique: “Like everyone else, we were very surprised when we learned of the decision of SNRL (Six Nations Rugby Limited) concerning Garry Ringrose, in comparison with the terms of application of the sanction that had been imposed on Romain Ntamack. However, the two cases seemed very comparable to us. This is why we contacted World Rugby for a request for explanations. We need to be enlightened as to what could have motivated such a difference.”
Ireland managed to secure Ringrose’s availability for Leinster thanks to a persuasive argument that his win over Cardiff should count towards his ban, a strategy the FFR could not replicate with Toulouse’s clash against Clermont. Detailed documentation from Ireland showcased that Ringrose would play for Leinster this weekend.
Meanwhile, despite similar efforts by France and claims by head coach Fabien Galthie of his intentions to release the fly-half for Toulouse duties, Ntamack remained sidelined. After recovering from an ACL rupture sustained in August 2023, the Wales game marked Ntamack’s return to international rugby.
Reflecting on the matter, Lhermet noted: “What we see, looking back, is that Garry Ringrose never played for his province in these matches during the 6 Nations Tournament,” adding skeptically, “With the information at our disposal, nothing suggests that this would have been the case this time. That is why we have made a request for explanations.”
This article originally appeared on Wales Online
