AM I the only person who thinks that the governing body of international rugby is slipping in its quest to eradicate serious foul play from the game?
I write with reference to the sickening eye-gouging perpetrated on Luke Fitzgerald by the Springbok flanker Schalk Burger in the opening stages of the second Test match at Loftus Versfeld between South Africa and the British & Irish Lions.
Rugby
officialdom has seriously failed Luke Fitzgerald in that, first of all, the match referee showed a yellow instead of a red card to Burger, and secondly, the IRB have only banned Burger for eight weeks instead of for life, which would have been far more fitting. I find this decision utterly deplorable.
The authorities charged with ensuring the well-being of all those who participate in the game have fallen down on their responsibilities. Peter de Villiers, the Springboks head coach, should be thoroughly ashamed of himself seeking to defend Burger's misconduct.
Burger knew exactly what he was doing: you don't unintentionally push a finger into someone's eye; it was an act of foul play which could have had serious implications for Fitzgerald's playing career.
When will the IRB wake up and smell the coffee, and realise that the only way to eradicate serious foul play from the game is to issue lifetime bans for the perpetrators? Rugby is not a game for pussycats, but there is a duty incumbent on all players to respect the well-being of their opponents.
COLIN C I DOUGLAS
Mansfield Road
SconeTHE pulsating second Test in Pretoria was sporting theatre at its best and the cruellest of defeats for the Lions. Regrettably, rugby's global image has suffered on two counts.
First, Schalk Burger's gouging of Luke Fitzgerald has no place in the game and he will be vilified by the rugby community for his actions. The leniency of the ban he has subsequently received is, however, lamentable and does not measure up to the gravity of the offence.
Secondly, Peter de Villiers' post-match comments on the incident were nothing short of reprehensible. His assertion that not even a yellow card was merited is, at best, lunacy. The governing body has a responsibility to players and fans alike. Now would be an appropriate time for it to mete out proper punishment to Burger and to heavily censure de Villiers for his comments.
CAMPBELL EVANS
Comiston Drive
EdinburghIT IS indeed a privilege and an honour to have the Lions touring in South Africa.
I well remember their last visit in 1997 when they took the rubber. I was at the Test in Durban when your brilliant centre, Jeremy Guscott, put over a scintillating drop goal to take the game away from the Springboks.
Matches between these two teams have always been tense and close affairs, and I personally, from a sporting point of view, would have loved to see a draw at Loftus in the second Test, which would have made the third and deciding Test a mouth-watering affair. Alas, it was not to be.
But as a supporter of fair play, I was disappointed by the South Africa coach's dismissive reaction to the Schalk Burger eye-gouging affair. On television evidence he was obviously guilty as charged and has received his just deserts by being banned for eight weeks.
ROD MATTHEE
Pigeonwood Close
Glen Anil
Durban