LA ROCHELLE HAVE been hit with a setback ahead of Sunday’s Champions Cup tie with Leinster as hooker Tolu Latu has been banned for three weeks.
The suspension emerged after a disciplinary hearing today that the former Wallaby faced, arising from an incident in last weekend’s French Top 14 win over Toulouse.
The news was announced in a statement by Ligue Nationale de Rugby this evening and is a blow to Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle side as they prepare to face Leinster for the sixth time in recent seasons in European action.
#Discipline
— Ligue Nationale de Rugby (@LNRofficiel) January 8, 2025
Voici les convocations et décisions de la commission de discipline et des règlements des 6, 7 et 8 janvier ➡️📄 https://t.co/OpOSn11Vy9 pic.twitter.com/Er02R5vkmU
Latu was found responsible for ‘dangerous play at ruck or maul’, with the median suspension of four weeks handed out. This was increased by one week after Tatu’s disciplinary record was taken into account as an aggravating circumstance.
But mitigating circumstaces (recognition of the facts, conduct before and during the hearing, expression of remorse), were then factored in, resulting in the sanction being reduced by two weeks.
La Rochelle beat Leinster in the 2021 Champions Cup semi-final, and 2022 and 2023 finals, before Leinster turned the tables last season with wins in the pool stage and in the quarter-final last April.
As well as the game against Leinster this Saturday, Latu will miss La Rochelle’s Champions Cup trip to face Benetton on Saturday 18 January, and their French Top 14 game against Toulon on Sunday 26 January.
But o toole gets 6 weeks???, I hate world rugby
@Cian Halley: An absolute joke. Not very funny for TOT and Ulster.
@Justin Robinson: You do realize, that the URC and T14 are completely separate leagues. With completely separate disciplinary processes and procedures? World rugby has nothing to do with that outcome, as they don’t run either league.
@Stephen Nolan: Um so what? Do you not think there should be some consistency regarding the application of the laws?
@Cian Halley: the difference in out come is this started with 4 week entry point while ToT started with a 10 week entry point, not sure how they reached such drastically different entry points.
@Kingshu: Especially when Latu went straight for the exposed limb. Really not sure that many of those posting in condemnation of TOT, or liking such posts, had actually seen the tackle (especially anyone mentioning Leavy whose entirely different injury was caused by an entirely different tackle).
@Justin Robinson: I was watching the La Rochelle game and spotted the Latu incident at the time. I think it should have been a red and was worse than the Tom O’Toole one.
@Cian Halley: I take it you’ve actually seen the infringement?
@John Lernihan: yeah I saw the Lati one, and if you had to pick which was a yellow card and 4 week entry point, and which a red and 10 week entry point youd have confidently said ToT 4 week. Lati’s was much worse @Stephen Nolan: what nonsense, not sure how that got so many likes, do the bans not cover international and HCup games too (the bans arent just Top 14 and URC games otherwise why is ToT going to miss start of 6 nations)? Is a cheap headshot in international rugby less severe than club level? As bans cover domestic, European and international games they follow the same framework and should be consistent. There is no denying that in comparison to this one ToT ban is very harsh.
@Kingshu: How does that change the fact, world rugby do not run the leagues? Yes the bans affect all competitions. Yes world rugby make the laws. But each competition governs themselves and how those laws are interpreted. As you highlight, the entry points set by the two leagues massively differ. Which has a massive impact on the outcome. The league’s set those sanctions, not world rugby. Also Mike Ross, who sits on disciplinary hearings, pointed out that the outcome has a major bearing on the sanction. If a player is injured by the action. As in the O’Toole incident, then it will receive a higher sanction. There was no injury resulting from the Latu hit. Even though it was far worse and more cynical than O’Toole’s.