Tokyo (AFP)

After challenging the referees, World Rugby relies on the tough decisions of its Disciplinary Committees to hunt dangerous veneers at the World Cup. Verdict: three suspension matches for three players.

Accused, get up ... In order, the Australian Reece Hodge, Samoan Rey Lee-Lo and the American John Quill were sentenced between Wednesday and Friday the same sanction, three suspension games, for the same fault: a dangerous veneer, made with the shoulder or without clasping the opponent.

All three are thus deprived of the end of the first phase of the World Cup, and will reappear on the grounds of Japan only if their team qualifies for the quarter-finals.

Another Samoan, Motu Matu'u, is awaiting a possible sanction after appearing before a disciplinary committee on Thursday.

These sanctions were not all preceded by a temporary expulsion: Hodge, who had irregularly stopped the Fijian Peceli Yato, had not even been penalized despite the direct exit of his opponent on concussion. Rey Lee-Lo was temporarily excluded, while John Quill had the first red card in the competition for his shoulder veneer, which even hit the head of Englishman Owen Farrell on Thursday night.

- Three-step strategy -

These sanctions are part of a three-step strategy led by World Rugby, engaged in a fight to preserve the physical integrity of the players and to remove some alarming images that may discourage young practitioners and their parents.

The International Federation first said it wanted to tackle the foul play (foul play) and set a framework (allowed and prohibited actions, penalties incurred) before the start of the World Cup.

Above all, World Rugby has hit the table on Tuesday, stressing in a statement to the rare tone, that in games played last weekend, "the level of arbitration (...) did not correspond always to the standards established by World Rugby and the team of referees ".

"As a group - and they are a very demanding group of people - they expect their performance to be the best possible, and I think there was some degree of disappointment among them," Alan told AFP. Gilpin, the director of the World Cup.

Fired by World Rugby, especially for the non-sanction against the Australian Reece Hodge, the referees adopted Tuesday night, during the match Russia - Samoa, a very clear attitude to tackle dangerous veneers.

- "We do not need the frame" -

In case of suspicion of dangerous veneer, the referees interrupt the match and, with the support of their video assistant, watch the sequence to take a penalty after answering, in English, three questions. 1. Was there contact with the head? 2. Did this pose a degree of danger? 3. Are there any factors that could mitigate the penalty?

This particular context has resulted in the temporary exclusions of Lee-Lo and Matu'u, as well as the Russian Gotovtev. And especially the red card inflicted on Quill.

The severe and systematic sanctions imposed by the Disciplinary Commission constitute the third floor of the rocket. The organizers emphasize that the regulatory framework was known to the teams; he had been exposed to them before the World Cup.

However, Australian winger Reece Hodge told the Disciplinary Committee that he had "no effective knowledge of World Rugby's decision-making framework for high veneers".

Friday morning, his coach Michael Cheika was annoyed: "I do not know where this discussion comes from but I want to finish with this: we do not need the framework (sanctions) to tell us where to patch, we Let us teach no one to plaster other than in the middle of the body.

"The frame is for the referees, not for the players," said Cheika, adding that the Australians reserved the right to appeal the Hodge suspension. Not sure if his case is examined with leniency ...

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