Rugby player facing three-month ban for grabbing an opponent’s junk
Scottish rugby player Ryan Wilson could be forced to miss one the game’s largest international competitions after an opponent alleged that he grabbed him, um, below the belt during a match on Sunday.
Wilson’s Glasgow Warriors were playing against the Northampton Saints in a European Rugby Champions Cup match when Northampton scrum half Lee Dickson alleged Wilson grabbed him during a scrum.
Below you can see Wilson (on the edge of the scrum, down near the ground) reach up and grab at Dickson.
Northampton Saints vs Glasgow Warriors 17.01.2016 - European Champions Cup
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World Rugby actually has rules that are to be applied in this situation! Law 10.4 (m) covers “testicle grabbing or twisting or squeezing” and calls for suspensions to be handed out based on the severity of the offense. A low-end suspension is 12 weeks, mid-range is 18 weeks and a top-end ban is 24 to 208 weeks.
Wilson played for Scotland at the World Cup this fall, but if he’s suspended he won’t be able to play in the Six Nations tournament, which begins in early February.
- Dan Gartland