Henderson banned after Fourie croc roll, but is three weeks enough?

Lock Iain Henderson, the Ulster skipper who injured Stormers flanker Deon Fourie during a clear-out at a ruck during last week’s 38-38 United Rugby Championship clash, has learnt his fate following a disciplinary hearing.

Henderson damaged Fourie’s knee in a croc roll, with the veteran expected to be out for up to three months, according to Stormers coach John Dobson.

READ | Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus to receive South Africa’s highest honour

In a ruling shared by the URC disciplinary structures late on Thursday afternoon, Henderson received a three-match suspension.

Late last year, Bulls hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels received a nine-week ban for allegedly groping the genitals of Connacht’s Josh Murphy, despite there being no footage showing that he had done so.

Henderson’s actions were there for all to see, and seeing that Fourie is out for an extended period and won’t play again this season, is it a fair ruling?

In a statement, the URC gave its reasoning behind the three-match suspension.

Under Law 9.20(d) – A player may remove the jackler from the tackle area, but must not roll, pull or twist an opponent – the player was shown a yellow card by referee Andrea Piardi (FIR) in the ninth minute of the match that was subsequently upgraded to a 20-minute red card after review.

The player appeared in front of an Independent Disciplinary Committee, comprising Roddy MacLeod (Chair), Alasdair Craig and Jonathan Rennie (all Scotland), and accepted that he had committed an act of foul play that warranted a red card.

The Independent Disciplinary Committee deemed that the act of foul play was reckless and merited a mid-range entry point of six weeks for sanctioning.

When applying mitigation, the Committee considered the player’s previous good record (one suspension in a 15-year playing career), his remorse and immediate concern for the opponent player, plus his good conduct and full co-operation with the disciplinary process.

As such, the player was afforded the full 50 percent mitigation (three weeks), which reduced the length of the suspension to three weeks. The matches the player will miss are dependent on Ulster’s progress in the playoff rounds of the United Rugby Championship.

Ulster v Glasgow Warriors, May 15, R18 URC

Ulster v Montpellier Hérault, May 22, EPCR Challenge Cup Final

Ulster v TBC, May 30, Quarter-final URC*

Australia v Ireland, July 4, Nations Championship**

*Should Ulster qualify for the URC quarter-finals, this fixture would complete the three-week suspension.

**Should Ulster fail to qualify for the URC quarter-finals, the international fixture between Australia and Ireland would complete the three-week suspension.

Do you think Iain Henderson's punishement is fair. Let us know on X or Facebook.