BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS coach Warren Gatland has replaced the suspended Dylan Hartley with Ulster and Ireland hooker Rory Best for the upcoming tour to Australia.
Hartley’s foul-mouthed rant during the Aviva Premiership Final defeat to Leicester Tigers has cost him a spot in the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.
The Northampton Saints and England hooker was given a red card by Wayne Barnes at Twickenham yesterday after calling the referee ‘a fucking cheat’. Hartley met with a disciplinary board in London this morning and was hit with an 11-week ban.
Ulster hooker Rory Best, who was mentioned by Lions forwards coach Graham Rowntree as ‘unfortunate to miss out’ on the initial squad selection for the four nations squad, was the next hooker in line. Lions tour manager Andy Irvine, said:
We leave on tour tomorrow. With uncertainty over the availability of Hartley to tour, and with the first of 10 matches only days away we had no option but to call up the additional player. Despite the circumstances we should congratulate Rory, who will join the squad tomorrow and fly with us to Hong Kong.
A final decision on whether Dylan Hartley will take any part in the tour will depend on the outcome of any potential appeal.”
Best and Hartley clash in 2011. (©INPHO/James Crombie)
Earlier in the day, a statement from the RFU read: “At the hearing [Hartley] pleaded not guilty but the panel found him guilty and determined that this was mid-range on the scale of seriousness. The entry point for mid-range is a suspension of twelve weeks and that was reduced by one week to reflect his good conduct at the hearing. He is suspended from today [May 26] until July 6 and from August 17 to August 31 and free to play again on September 1.
In accordance with the Lion tour agreement the six-week tour of Australia represents eight of the eleven weeks suspension because of the tour schedule. The remaining three weeks of the suspension cover three of Northampton Saints’ pre-season matches.”
Judge Jeff Blackett said: “We cannot get around the fact that Wayne Barnes was certain that Mr. Hartley’s comments were directed at him. Wayne Barnes said that if he had had any doubt in his mind, then he would have given the player the benefit of the doubt.
“In terms of sanction, calling a referee a cheat is an attack on his integrity and contrary to the core values of rugby and therefore we have taken a serious view and provided a serious sanction.”
Hartley claimed that he was looking at Tom Youngs, who was on the ground at the time, and his remark was directed at Youngs. If you look at the video evidence it is clear that when he made the remark he was clearly looking ahead and not down. Delighted with this ban, he should never have been on the tour in the first place and hopefully Best gets the call he should have received in the first place.
Karma working at its finest..lions squad all the better for him not being in it.
Nice collection of bans…
26 weeks for gouging (Johnny O Connor)
11 weeks for biting (Ferris)
2 weeks for striking (Best)
The guy has the brain of a donkey.
Barnes had also told Hartley about 5 minutes prior that he had been making comments all game and if Barnes felt it was directed at himself he would have to take action. Hartley is complete moron and deserves the punishment. Agree with the above that best is not automatic choice to go now.
Can’t believe Gatland even dreamed of letting the likes of that represent us.
Hartley shouldn’t have been chosen ahead of Best anyway. He’s an accident waiting to happen. What a clown.
Delighted he’s missing the tour…what an idiot!
Hartley always was an ignorant, overrated a##hole! Delighted he got that ban, & totally deserved! He was mouthing off all afternoon & who did he think he was kidding if he thought Barnes was just going to let him off? Best should have gotten the nod ahead of him anyway, far better player!!!
What bugs me about this is that for his good behaviour at the hearing, he got it reduced by 1 week…. Where’s the logic in that? It makes no sense what so ever, I mean has everybody else who has attended a hearing have not behaved and therefore their ban not reduced??
Especially as he pleaded not guilty and provided that useless argument to hissl innocence! 1wk for good behaviour DURING the hearing?! Were they expecting him to be as abusive, ignorant and as big a pr*ck in the hearing as he is and was on the pitch? Ridiculous!
Reducing the ban by a week for good behaviour during the hearing is ridiculous and a little bit suspicious. Does anybody know if that week in hand makes him available for a certain game? Do competitive club games start that week or something?
The ban doesn’t count during the summer so he is available the first weekend in September – so the tribunal probably thought that a ban going into next seasons pre season games was too much.
In fairness his behaviour was good, he didn’t gouge, bite or punch anyone during the hearing!
Good news as I always felt Hartley was a massive risk for the Lions. Always likely to do something stupid and pick up Yellow or even Red.
Should have been picked in the squad from the start anyways
The ban was reduced by one week to “reflect his good conduct at the hearing”. What good conduct, he continued to lie which in effect is a repeat of the original offence of questioning the integrity of the match referee. His ban should have been doubled for not admitting the offence and he should have apologised to the referee.
He better start working of throwing, very inconsistent.
He wouldn’t through Wayne Barnes very far
He might spell it right though. ;)
I can thank Steve Jobs and autocorrect for that
I don’t get the “Lions” thing at all.
What’s not to get?
It’s quite simple really.
I don’t see the “honour” in playing for what is essentially a UK & Ireland team. Province & Country I get. A makey-up composite of two sovereign countries? Not so much.
Don’t worry about VD. He’s only here for the red thumbs.
It’s more a pride thing. There’s a lot of sentiment attached too, but to read of successful tours and its about the bond that the players develop. It’s playing for the other 14 men on the pitch rather than the crest on the jersey. If you watch the living with lions documentary based on the 1997 tour you might get more of an idea.
Thanks Niall for that unsolicited and profoundly incorrect insight into my inner self.
Rob- I’m not slating the Lions. I know lots of people love it. It just seems a false gathering. But each to their own. Freely admit I’m in a massive minority on this one.
Delighted for Hartley.
So how long will we be waiting for a similiar ban to be handed out to a soccer player…
Who cares? It’s not like Fifa are short of sponsors or interest in the most popular sport on earth.
If you want to see overgrown oafs being polite continue with the rugger, pal.
At least Irish teams can compete with the best in Europe which is more than can be said for the dismal efforts from the league of Ireland etc.
Nobody gives two hoots about what part time binmen and carpenters playing in the League of Ireland, pal. The British premier league is where its at.
I know, 90+ minutes watching 22 overpaid primadonnas hoofing a ball around ending in a nil all draw is so preferable to seeing Irish teams doing well. Let’s all line the swollen pockets of the Premier League.
The Premier League is the greatest show on earth, mate and provides the backbone of our football internationals. So yes, lets get behind the beautiful game and stop wasting our energies on one starved of any skill.
And our International team is so talented and successful….
I’m a Northampton lad born and bred and even I think Hartley is liability. Even if his comments were not aimed at the ref, he had ample warnings to quit the remarks and he should know better. When he’s on form, he’s a great player but his temperament is just wrong. I still think Youngs will start as his balk carrying was verg good yesterday. His throwing is appalling though.
Beautiful ! Poetic justice !! Just in case the world didn’t know what a moron Hartley is …. the gods of karma selected him , boosted his ego even more , and then stood back and watched as the thug inside him destroyed his opportunity. Perfect ! Best is on the plane and the rugby world is reminded of the character of Mr Hartley.
Great news for Rory ! he’s simply the best ! (at his position !) ;)
Good news for Best. Hopefully he will get a start as for Hartley what a Muppet.
€20 says Ross Forde gets the call up.
Had a better season than Best.
Added benefit of a decent throw.
I’ll take that bet! :)
Hartley was always going to be a liability based on his recent history regarding his indiscipline. Warren Gatland is lucky the incident occurred because Hartley would possibly have done the same again on the Lions Tour.
Why does article say Best is called up & when you read full article it says he should b in line, concluding the article with a statement from the lions which doesn’t mention a replacement?? Can anyone clarify if he has been called up?
Lions twitter is saying Best has been called up.
David, this is a follow up on an earlier article about Hartley’s ban. According to sky sports news Best has indeed been called up.
Article above is all up to date now (Elizabeth is right – it is an updated piece). It has been confirmed: Best is a Lion.
If footballers received the same treatment for abusing refs, clubs would find themselves rather short-staffed…
Gatland picked Hartley because he knows we’re going to need a thuggish element during this tour. Looking at the squad that’s been assembled the lions aren’t going down there to play beautiful rugby they’re going down to brawl and beat up the Wallabies. I can see a huge amount of injuries coming off the back of this tour & possibly (hopefully not) a few careers ended.