Danny Care gets £10k fine and dropped from EPS after “drink driving” charge

Posted on Jan 4, 2012 in England, English Rugby, Harlequins, Premiership, RFU

England and Harlequins have taken action following Danny Care’s arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol in the early morning of New Year’s Day.

Danny will appear in court on January 16 and will be pleading guilty to the charge.

The club and England are deeply disappointed with Danny’s actions and will not tolerate this type of behaviour.

The club held an internal investigation on Monday, January 2 in conjunction with the England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster and will be sanctioning Danny accordingly.

Resulting from the enquiries Danny will not be considered for selection for the England Elite Player Squads and will miss this year’s RBS 6 Nations as a minimum.

Danny will also be fined £10,000 by Harlequins and will be required to work on the club’s inner city coaching programme until end of pre-season 2012-13.The club will also look to work with the Rugby Players’ Association to ensure Danny is given the necessary support and education around alcohol awareness.

England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster said: “I have met Danny and told him that he will not be considered for selection for the Senior or Saxons Elite Player Squads that are due to be announced on the 11th January for the forthcoming Six Nations campaign.

"This is his second arrest in three weeks for alcohol related offences and it is completely unacceptable. We will monitor his progress from this event through Harlequins and we have every confidence in the club to support him in the right way. At such a time that we feel he can be trusted to behave appropriately on and off the field then he will be reconsidered for selection, but this will not be until the conclusion of the Six Nations as a minimum.”

Harlequins Director of Rugby Conor O’Shea said: “Danny’s actions are inexcusable and we are all deeply disappointed and feel let down. Danny has made a huge error of judgement, but knows what he did is wrong and has accepted the responsibility of his actions.”

Danny Care said: “I do accept that I made a very bad decision on the evening in question and need to take the punishment that the courts hand out. I have decided not to contest the charge as I want to bring this to a close swiftly rather than have it hanging over my head for a year or more.

“I would stress though that at no time did I think I had drunk enough to be over the legal limit. However I should not have got into the car and have to accept the consequences of that action.

“I am devastated not to be selected for the Elite Player Squad for the Six Nations as I felt I had been playing near the top of my game with Quins. However I wish the team, and the other number 9s who come in to play the best of luck as playing for your country is the highest honour in the game and I will miss it hugely. It’s now up to me to get my head down, keep playing well and learn from my actions.

“Quins and Stuart have been very supportive and I totally accept their sanctions. I do understand the need for England players to be role models in the game and have tried to live up to that at all times, but have made a couple of stupid decisions in the past weeks. I can only hope for the chance in the future to prove those decisions were the exception not the rule. I am devastated because my actions have let so many people down.”

The EPS according to Social Pundit part 1 – The Front Row

Posted on Jan 2, 2012 in Latest Rugby News

In a few days, Stuart Lancaster will celebrate his new appointment by announcing the EPS and Saxons. This will be the signal for English rugby fans everywhere to promptly rip into it, inform the world that Lancaster doesn’t know what he’s doing, and should be defenestrated from Canary Wharf. As part of my new efficiency drive, I’m going to try and get there first and say how it should be done, leaving me free to just point to these articles when the arguing starts. God knows what I’m going to do if he agrees with me but selection ability hasn’t been the strongest point of the English management in recent years, so we will see. I live in hope though.

 

So with no further ado, let us start with the fatboys.

 

Current State: In fairness to Johnson, leaving behind a solid first choice front row with an average age of 24 is some legacy. Rowntree obviously knows exactly what he’s getting so there should at least by the virtue of continuity here. However, the problem lies in the words ‘solid’ and ‘24’. The first choice players are babies by propping standards and it does show occasionally, particularly as half of the 6N have scrums far more than solid. Rowntree shall have to be at the top of his game here or things have the potential to go pear-shaped here. Solid remains the word for their ability in the loose as well. They’re good, but not great; no one in the mould of Jenkins, Brits or Afoa here.

 

If we look at the back-ups the picture loses whatever rosy tint it may have left. Stevens and Wilson both offer something in the loose (although neither are living up to their reputation) but the quality of the scrum deteriorates with them on. Doran-Jones is handy enough but a little small and doesn’t offer the same impact in the loose. Then there’s Sheridan of course, simultaneously the most over and underrated player in English rugby of recent times to my mind – he’d still be useful, but is injured. Again. That’s just at prop – the situation at hooker is far, far worse, where it is basically Hartley and thats it. Rowntree needs to find some proper competition for his tyros somewhere but a lot of the people putting their hands up are even rawer and nowhere near ready.

 

What would Social Pundit do: Social Pundit would pick Nick Wood. Quite why one of the best scrummaging looseheads in the Premiership has not played for England before is slightly mystifying unless you buy into the conspiracy theory that Johnson hated all things Gloucester. It is the most logical explanation here, as he’s no slouch in the loose. At 28, he has plenty of experience to bring to the table. He might not start ahead of Corbierso but he should definitely put some real pressure on him.

 

What I’d emphatically not do is pick Joe Marler. Marler does offer a fantastic impact in the loose and I look forwards to seeing it for England but he needs to get his scrummaging right first or he’ll be losing matches for England. Marler would be in my Saxons squad, but would most definitely never get promoted to play games (he might get promoted to train). Jon Golding would get my other Saxons loosehead berth – one prospect, plus the next best I can find, which is how I believe the Saxons should pick. Whether Golding is actually the next best I’m slightly unsure of but there’s no one significantly better here. Nathan Catt can consider himself very unlucky here.

 

Things are not so simple at tighthead. Dan Cole starts and Dan Cole had best be fit. Next in line for me is Matt Stevens – his shaky scrummaging came on the other side, he’s playing at tighthead for Sarries and he offers more than Dave Wilson. In fact Wilson loses out altogether for me as Doran-Jones takes the ‘established’ Saxons tighthead slot. I’d pick Rupert Harden of Gloucester for the other slot, mainly in the belief that Henry Thomas isn’t ready yet. Harden had best impress though as Thomas is coming along in leaps and bounds.

 

This leaves hooker. We cannot afford to leave Dylan Hartley out, despite how hot and cold he blows. We need two new hookers – Thompson is gone, Chuter should be gone, and any tenuous claim Mears might have has been rubbed out by injury. The popular view here is to take Joe Gray and David Paice. Myself, I think Gray’s form has been slightly wobbly, but I think we need more breakdown work from our front-rows so he makes it ahead of his Quins teammate Brooker. Brooker will go into the Saxons. He will be joined by Rob Webber, although I’m sorely tempted to go with Dawidiuk or Sharman, as Webber’s had plenty of chances without ever putting it together. One of those probably deserves the last place ahead of Jamie George, but I’ll pick George anyway, as hooker is a position where we desperately need to be forcing young players through, as reading that last paragraph back convinces me that hooker is turning into a crisis position for England.

 

I definitely wouldn’t offer Hartley the captaincy as has been mooted in some places. It doesn’t go to players I’d love to replace but can’t find anyone with whom to do so. If he were to provide the performances to deserve his place, he’d be an obvious candidate. Maybe telling him that would get the performances that England needs.

 

Pre-match instructions: Assuming a front three of Cole, Hartley, and one of Corbs/Wood, then my first instruction would be to tell Hartley to look to carry only when running at space. He doesn’t make hard yards, but will exploit space. That means his props get all the fun of the short carries which is exactly what they’re built for. Corbierso would be my main carrier of the three if picked. However, what I’d iterate most to them is the need to blast the rucks, and get the quick ball with which England actually thrives. If they do that, I genuinely wouldn’t care if they didn’t touch the ball all game.

 

Final pick:

 

EPS:

Corbierso, Wood, Cole, Stevens, Gray, Hartley, Paice

Saxons:

Golding, Marler, Doran-Jones, Harden, Brooker, George, Webber

Tinds back in the EPS

Posted on Nov 29, 2011 in England, English Rugby

Mike Tindall’s fine for breaches of the England Elite Player Squad Agreement during the 2011 Rugby World Cup has been reduced from £25,000 to £15,000 and he has been reinstated into the England Elite Player Squad.

Regarding Mike Tindall, Martyn Thomas, Acting Chief Executive Officer who heard the appeal, said, “We accept that there were mitigating factors which do not appear to have been taken into account to the extent that they might otherwise have been. These include;

i. Mike did not intentionally mislead the RFU team management when he stated that he could not remember where he was on the night of September 11, and that he was relying on other people’s versions of events which were relayed to him

ii. That there was no evidence of any suggestion of sexual impropriety of any nature with the woman in question and we accept the fact that she is a family friend who he has known for a long time

iii. That Mike expressed deep regret during the appeal meeting about his behaviour and that he had apologised to Martin Johnson and the team for the events which unfolded as a consequence

iv. That there was no evidence that Mike had been involved in any incidences in the past which could contribute as aggravating factors.

“Taking all these factors into account we have decided to reduce the fine to £15,000 and reverse the decision to remove Mike from the England Elite Player Squad. It is however important to stress that we believe Mike’s behaviour fell way below that to be expected of somebody of his calibre and experience. He exposed himself to a very compromising position and exposed the rest of the team to damaging publicity.”

“We are aware that the EPS Squad will be reviewed on January 1, 2012 and wish to make it clear that this decision does not prevent those deciding the composition of the EPS Squad from taking into account this incident when making that decision.”

Tindall removed from EPS. Ashton and Haskell fined

Posted on Nov 11, 2011 in England, English Rugby, Rugby World Cup

THE Rugby Football Union has taken the following disciplinary action regarding breaches of the England Elite Player Squad Agreement during the 2011 Rugby World Cup:

• Mike Tindall has been removed from the England Elite Player Squad with immediate effect and fined £25,000 for his conduct around the events that took place in Queenstown on the night of Sunday, September 11, 2011
• Chris Ashton has been fined £5,000 (fine suspended until December 31, 2012), for his part in the events in Dunedin on Friday, September 9, 2011 and warned as to his future conduct
• James Haskell has been fined £5,000 (fine suspended until December 31, 2012), for his part in the events in Dunedin on  Friday, September 9, 2011 and warned as to his future conduct
• Dylan Hartley has been cleared of being involved in the exchange of inappropriate language which led to allegations of wrongdoing against himself, Chris Ashton and James Haskell, in Dunedin on  Friday, September 9, 2011

The sanctions follow appearances by the players before the RFU’s Professional Rugby Director Rob Andrew and Legal and Governance Director Karena Vleck.

Rob Andrew said: “We have considered all the evidence carefully and interviewed the players at length. These actions have not been taken lightly but we believe that in all these cases the sanctions are commensurate with the level of seriousness of what occurred.

“Mike Tindall’s actions reached a level of misconduct that was unacceptable in a senior England player and amounted to a very serious breach of the EPS Code of Conduct.  Whilst we acknowledge his previous good character it needs to be made clear that what he did will not be tolerated.

“Regarding the events in Dunedin, it should be stressed that the allegations of very serious wrong-doing made against Chris Ashton, Dylan Hartley and James Haskell by Annabel Newton, a member of staff at the team hotel, were entirely false. We do not believe the players had any intention to sexually harass or intimidate Ms Newton.

“However, the incident is precisely the kind of dangerous, compromising situation the players were warned about prior to departure for New Zealand and that they were specifically told to avoid in the EPS Code of Conduct.

“While we found that Dylan Hartley played no part in the ill-considered exchange with Annabel Newton, Chris Ashton and James Haskell’s behaviour on September 9 did breach the EPS Code of Conduct and they have each been given suspended fines of £5,000. If they commit any further breaches of the Code before December 31, 2012 the fines will become due.

“Finally, these episodes and the subsequent disciplinary action should stand as a strong reminder that the highest standards of personal conduct are expected from any England player on and off the field.”

The players have the right to appeal to the RFU Acting Chief Executive within three working days from today.

England name EPS replacements

Posted on Jan 24, 2011 in Rugby News

England today drafted four replacements into the Elite Player Squad preparing for the RBS 6 Nations.

The players called up are Northampton Saints flankers Tom Wood and Phil Dowson, Leicester Tigers lock George Skivington and Bath Rugby full back Nick Abendanon.

Wood and Dowson are injury replacements for Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers) and Lewis Moody (Bath Rugby). Skivington comes in for Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints) and Abendanon takes over from the suspended Delon Armitage (London Irish).

All four have joined the England squad training in Portugal this week as has Hendrie Fourie (Leeds Carnegie) who is being assessed by the England medical staff today after sustaining a calf injury at the weekend.

There are seven changes to the England Saxons squad preparing for games against Italy A at Worcester on Saturday and Ireland A in Belfast on February 4.

Gloucester Rugby prop Nick Wood, London Irish hooker James Buckland, Worcester Warriors lock Graham Kitchener, Leicester Tigers centre Manu Tuilagi and Gloucester Rugby full back Olly Morgan are named as injury replacements for Matt Mullan (Worcester Warriors), Rob Webber (London Wasps), Dan Ward-Smith (London Wasps), Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks) and Alex Goode (Saracens).

Harlequins lock George Robson replaces the suspended David Attwood (Gloucester Rugby) and Harlequins full back Mike Brown takes over from Abendanon following his promotion to the senior EPS.