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Toulouse to appeal Kaino's five-week ban for 'striking with the shoulder'

The former All Black was suspended for a tackle on Bath’s Jamie Roberts.

TOULOUSE SAY THEY will appeal the five-week ban handed out to Jerome Kaino by an independent disciplinary committee for a dangerous tackle in last weekend’s Heineken Champions Cup game against Bath.

Kaino’s suspension means he is currently set to miss Sunday’s meeting with Leinster in Toulouse.

Jerome Kaino yellow carded by referee Andrew Brace Kaino was yellow-carded for the tackle on Jamie Roberts. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

The Top 14 club says they don’t believe there was a “clear and obvious” act of foul play from Kaino and that the ban was “about feelings and not proven facts.”

Former All Black Kaino was suspended for “striking with the shoulder” in a tackle on Bath’s Jamie Roberts last weekend.

The incident forced Roberts to leave the pitch permanently after failing a Head Injury Assessment.

An EPCR statement on Wednesday said that an independent disciplinary committee had decided that “[o]n the basis that the incident involved contact to the head,” they were obliged to ban Kaino under the mid-range sanctions, meaning a six-week starting point.

Kaino pleaded not guilty to the alleged offence but had a week shaved off the suspension due to “good conduct at the hearing.”

Toulouse are unhappy with the suspension, however, and have released a statement signalling their intent to appeal the decision.

As yet, there has been no confirmation from EPCR that a hearing will take place today or tomorrow, meaning that as things stand, Kaino will miss Sunday’s clash with Leinster.

“Stade Toulousain took note of the decision of the EPCR’s independent Disciplinary Committee, which suspended Jerome Kaino for five games following the Champions Cup match against Bath on 13 October,” says a statement from the club.

“Stade Toulousain vehemently contests this decision, which is not based on any clear and obvious evidence of an act of foul play in connection with World Rugby’s Law 9.12.

“Stade Toulousain will appeal this sanction, as authorized by the EPCR’s disciplinary rules, considering that the judgment is about feelings and not about proven facts.

“Stade Toulousain is also considering the decision rendered by the EPCR’s independent Disciplinary Committee regarding its player Lucas Pointud, as the grounds of accusation seem questionable.”

Pointud was banned for four weeks for striking the head of Bath’s Nathan Catt with his shoulder during last weekend’s game.

- This article was updated at 1.54pm to correct ‘EPCR’ to ‘an independent disciplinary committee’ in the opening sentence.


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