Jamie Cudmore suspended after fight with Paul O'Connell

Where did O'Connell come out of? All of a sudden he's going at it with Cudmore, all I saw were 4 straight punches on the ground from O'Connell.

I've had a look at this quite a few times and I think O'Connell threw more puches than Cudmore. I think yellow for both would've done but if one was going to get pinned more than the other I think the officials got it the wrong way round.

That's what I thought, Cudmore took all the punches, but somehow it was O'Connell who ended up bleeding.And O'Connell could never be given a worse punishment because he simply fought back, Cudmore was the one that started it.

this is bullshit, ive waited 2 weeks for this video to be put up and u didnt even show a replay. fuck u rugbydump, sort urself out.

it does show a replay at the end, watch the whole video

Previous comment: mate, shut up or get out.. no-one needs that crap.From what I saw, O'Connel was hit first, and it actually was a good one.O'Connel reacted, but Cudmore's punch was unprovoked and unnecessary. I think that's what earned him the red.

What a moron - rugbydump does not control the tv replay. Rugbydump does an amazing job putting rugby up for us, just be greatful.Hard to see what happens. Cudmore is unlucky to get a red imho. Two yellows probably appropriate. Cudmore initiates, O'Connell twats him around a bit. Nothing too too serious.

O'Connell started it from the ground, with the punches and stuff...this was before they got up and Cudmore started offloading punches of his own.it wasn't fair that Cudmore got the boot while O'Connell was relatively scot free.I've missed RD, so piedparper, shut up.

this incident probably cost clermont the game. but munster played well and deserved the win. Jacobo

Bollocks.As usual i find myself complete bemused as to the end result of the situation.While i watched. Ideally for me O'Connell deserved NO punishment what so ever.When you're recieving multiple punches to the face without intervention, it's human INSTINCT to respond. It's not like he made a conscious decision to attack Cudmore.If the referee and linesmen did their job he wouldn't have had to respond.So i can say confidently i don't think O'Connell deserved anything. A yellow was extremely harsh and in my opinion ridiculous, bordering on retarded.With O'Connell aside. This is rugby. I wouldn't have had any complaints if Cudmore only recieved a yellow for the incident. But he didn't, he got a red. Which in my opinion is a fair shout on numerous reflection.But a ban? How absolutely fucking stupid. 5 weeks non the less. Am i the only one who has huge fucking problems with such moronic over reactions to fairly harmless incidents?It seems those in charge of running the game have their mind bent on destroying the very foundation of the sport through their own epic faggotry.It was a few punches, a harmless bit of biff. The punishment he's been given you'd think he'd pulled a Tyson and bit the blokes ear off.It's absolutely disgusting. It seems incidents that deserve lengthy bans are treated as harmless and inadequate offences, and incidents that are inadequate and nothing serious are treated as the complete opposite.I'm getting so bloody tired of this. I'm sure even most Munster fans agree a 5 week ban is harsh... That's the irony of the situation.Those running the game seem to think they know better than the common fan. They remind me of the British government.Another rant brought to you by Rancid.

Woh, didn't realise i'd typed that much!

Will be in Joburg 1-10 Jan, anyone know if there are any matches played then?

I agree, the five week ban is ridiculous! also, i dont think those punches were red card worthy.. Sin Bin would've been enough

It should have been yellow or red for the both,this decision turned the game.This decision just recall us what a pity ERC referees can be these last monthsi'm french, a rugby lover, i hate to complain and i have a great respect for rugby rules but these last H-Cup matchs make me say that someting going wrong...French clubs should think "whether it is worth contesting the rest of the Heineken Cup..."have a look at "the rolling maul" on timesuk...

This is rugby, not MMA so cudmore deserved the red, and a 5 week ban isnt long enough! what makes this incident more ridiculous is the fact that o'connell got a yellow!!! he got hit first,3 or 4 hard punches! good to c o connell twat him a few times, good for munster to win......and its ALWAYS good to see the french lose!!

"If the referee and linesmen did their job he wouldn't have had to respond." ......ah right, 5 foot ref weighing 10 stone when wet stepping inbetween two 6ft 8 guys (ish) weighing 18 stone when sunbaked dry?...yeh.....i can see that working.the other thing is perhaps you guys didnt notice the clue that was in the commentary....did the commentator not say something along the lines of "cudmore is known for being feisty"........perhaps they were making an example and trying to get the message into his thick head that if he carries on he will be screwed over!

I don't see what all the fuss is about. O'Connell did well and was unfortunate to get a yellow but if you thump someone, even in retaliation or self defense; you get a yellow.Cudmore started it and whacked O'Connell while the Irishman was clearly taking a stance (looking at the linesman) that wasn't antagonistic.I think the ref got it about right - this is part of rugby and nobody has every tried to stamp it out; fighting is a waste of time and points and the sooner clubs learn this and start punishing their own players for misbehaviour, the better for the game.

"I have to defend myself"! Brilliant!!!

Didn't the commentator say that Cudmore threw a punch or two at O'Callaghan - then the ref cited that as "continuing"...that being a reason for the red.Glad to see you back, RD. Thanks for all the clips and updates!

I seriously hate fags like Cudmore who start fights during a gameGood decision to ban himthose immature actions ruin a perfectly good game

This angle really isn't the best to see what went on at all. I watched the match live and later they showed the reverse angle. Cudmore landed an upper-cut to O'Connell's chin while they were getting up from the deck - that punch busts his lip and then that's when we see O'Connell in this clip looking to the linesman.Then while O'Connell was looking at the linesman Cudmore throws another two digs at his head before he eventually reacts.I saw nothing that really should have provoked Cudmore - he just seemed to have completely lost it. Maybe dreaming of being in the NHL.The decision was right by the referee, if anything slightly harsh on O'Connell. How many times was he supposed to let Cudmore punch him in the face before he'd react? If you saw the original upper-cut I think he showed remarkable composure to stay calm for as long as he did.If RD can find the reverse angle that was shown later in the match it really does exonerate O'Connell and really show Cudmore to be an undisciplined idiot who cost his team dearly.

yeah i saw the other angle as well(gotta love RTE!) and i totally agree,o connell did the right thing and so did the ref

I was surprised about the red, but 5 weeks is extremely harsh, and inconsistent with some of the other punishments that have been handed out...seriously, punches in rugby happen, so is this type of incident worth 5 weeks?

im with piedpiper - whats this junk ? this a boxing site now ?

RD IS THE BEST. Fuck off piedsomething and the other guy

RD going to get their act together anytime soon and post some rugby ?

why is it only french teams that start fights?

because we like to show you how much better we are at fighting

lol at jimthefrenchmeni dunno, no one saw o'connell hitting dude on the ground BEFORE THEY GOT UP AND started the fight?o'connell should have got the same thing.

have to agree with sander."piedparper" if you've got nothing nice to say, then fuck off. by the way its not rugby dump's fault that there wasn't a replay, its the television station.Cudmore deserved the red as from what i can see he initiated it. Although O'Connell did retaliate he definately did'nt deserve the same

jimthefrenchmen, here's a link to a rugby site for you:http://tinyurl.com/344h89Now, let's see the rugby site that you've created and update on a regular basis - you know, the one that's free for the people who visit it and doesn't earn you a living.

I can't see what Cudmore actually did.Besides, out of all the players why the hell did he pick on POC???

I think Cudmore kept punching after the order, probs why

Red for both unnnaceptable play, no need for it they both should have played no part in the rest of the game.

2 reds or 2 yellows, but no 1 red ad 1 yellow, the decided the that because i think, it's O'Connell and in the Munster's Stadium, stupid decision for me, the fight started in the rucks, in the french progrmam "Les specialistes" the was really good examinated and we saw the fight started in the ruck.

lesson learned... you dont go to limerick and start a fight!!.. Cudmore is a scumbag, rememeber last year against Wasps?? knacker!!

Cudmore is an idiot. It's a pro game now. Throwing that punch cost them an epic win. OConnell did awesome, just put his hands up to show he was the one getting hit then smashed the guy. I watched this live and as a french supporter I was so annoyed at cudmore, he must of been sat on the sideline feeling so guilty, watching his fellow fowards put in a performance that was really brilliant. I have a lot of respect for munster especially munster fans who are without a doubt the best fans in rugb. Having said that I do like to see them lose, and I'm sure they'll agree that they didn't perfom to their high standards and were lucky to beat a 14 man clermont. What a pity Cudmore couldn't keep his cool...

Great to have RD back, really missed those clips, but appreciate it can't be easy keeping ahead of the censors. Thought the suspension was a classic example of killing a flea with a sledgehammer. The red and yellow would have done ok.Enjoy seeing physical contact, think maybe we should take an NHL attitude to fighting, don't worry too much unless one player is at a disadvantage.

there's no question about Cudmore!In france, he is often involved in this kind of fight.He deserved red!But o'connell and o'callaghan aren't angels (o'connell began the fight in the ruck)and a fight needs 2 buddies..i've stopped to count these red/yellow cards against french teams :)

Cudmore is a complete clown, he deserved the red. You would've thought he'd have learnt his lesson from last season, but apparently not. To leave your team 1 man down for 60 mins is just irresponsible! Maybe now he'll wise up. Great job RD :)

I hope O'Connell isn't invited to Cudmore's New Years Eve party!!

ha ha ha ha - great job RDsorry all the sensative people out there - MERRY CHRISTMAS !!

yeh watch closely cumore throws an uppercut and then o'connel turns 2 the lines man then cudmore hits him agen (unprovoaked as far as i can see) then o'connl jus twats him lol

Yeah, Cudmore got the first punch in, a cheap one too, and o'connell definately finished it... self defence! good call, if theyd both just got yellow they would have been back at it when they got back on. 5 week ban's OTT though, red should have been the end

thats brilliant cudmore starting it and ending up on the the floor gettin punched lol

Red to the yellow and yellow to the red, I thought both would get red card

What a shite decision.If you start a fight, you deserve everything you get. Maybe Cudmore only deserved a yellow, but O'Connell should have got off scot free.What are you supposed to do, sit there and let some twenty stone canadian mutant go to town on your face?

At the end of the day rugby is a collision sport and every now and again things spill over causing fights etc.Red Card fro cudmore? Maybe a fair call but not a 5 week ban, the guys in charge are going silly with the bans take the Harry Ellis ban for 6 weeks thats crazy!

The red wasn't given for starting the first fight, it was for carrying on with o'callaghan after everyone else had stopped. I think the ref probably go both calls right, although I know that some people will say O'Connell had a right to retaliate by any means.

a lot of you guys dont really understand the commitee's involved. Basically, if when i play for my club, if i knock someone out and get a red card, id be facing a commitee that potentially any professional could be facing. if next to my name it shows that this is not the first time, then it means i havent learnt my lesson, which then means they might decide to throw the book at me hence the 5 week ban. if however this was the first time and lets say connell also got a red and it was him in front of the panel they will look at the facts of the case and say, well o'connell got punched a few times then reacted, he is a good character player and normally keeps out of trouble, and perhaps not punish him at all.obviously the guys with all the paper work and replays they want to see made a decision that all you guys sat at home who have only just seen this on RD website feel is wrong.......

Owen McN, you have one point wrong. As pointed out in the Limerick post, that was not a bust lip on O Connell's lip. It was blood from Cudmore's knuckles.

To those slagging of the mighty Rugbydump: you have a choice to go on a website. I'm sure the vast majority of vistors would rather you didn't use that choice to write pointless rubbish. What's wrong with Rugbydump having a holiday after all?!There's a replay of the reason Cudmore was sent off at 2:40 - clearly shows at least 3 punches before O'Connell responds. Cudmore is a thug as a previous poster mentioned; the suggestion of NHL-style tolerance of fighting is also one which would be a massive backward step in rugby's development at professional level.

good angle of the cudmore uppercut that was easily worthy of a red at about 2:42. Sucker punch really, would have been harsh if o'connell got a red...Danremont

It wasn't caught on camera but Cudmore threw punches at O' Callaghan after O' Connell and that is the reason why he was sent off.

Great to see Rugby Dump back!!

haha jimthefrenchman "because we like to show you how much better we are at fighting" sorry, how many wars have you got owned in?

^||Do you know how many wars the French have WON!Pick up a book. If there's one thing you can't question when speaking on the French, it's their ability to win wars.Against everyone but the English ;)I joke.

^|||to the comments that talk about cudmore and how the french fighting is and all the load of rubbish which really doesnt matter, do i have to remind you that cudmore is actually canadian?!............

"If I were a French rugby club I would seriously consider whether it is worth contesting the rest of the Heineken Cup. The odds are so stacked against them that the concept of fair play has been lost."http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article5318381.ece

The Rolling Maul: French rugby is always stuffed by refereeing http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article5318381.ece/article5318381.ece

Anyone who doesn't agree with Cudmore gettin a red clearly doesnt know the rules of rugby, he hit once and was told to stop so then the ape hits him twice more before poc gets him down, its a unprovoked attack and its the second time he has done it, he did it before to a wasps fella. This guy has issues.

Don, stop talking!

ha ha ha - im not even french you losers

Said it before, and i'll say it again, Jamie and Luke Cudmore are a disgrace to Canadian rugby. he's a fantastic lock, but disciplinary issues are a problem. theres a reason Kieran Crowley won't select him to a training camp

ref made the right call, cudmore had to go. he punched POC square in the face several times in the face before he reacted. I would not stand there and get hit in the face by an 18 stone monster. Cudmore was lucky not to get onto more trouble

"If you start a fight, you deserve everything you get. Maybe Cudmore only deserved a yellow, but O'Connell should have got off scot free."Probably. But most often we see players banned becauses they responded to a previous hit that ref didn't see or "forgot" immediately.

Don't know what O'connell did on the ground to provoke it but can't blame him for going at Cudmore after those punches. O'callaghan should've got yellow for holding down Cudmore.Welcome back RD!

i think o connell had the right to retaliate here, i mean cudmore threw the first punch, then o connell instead of reacting looked to the linesman not taking the law in to his own hands then more punches came his way i think he had every right to hit back because cudmore showed no intention of stopping. its a shame though to see a good game ruined but no one is an angel we all lose our temper when we get little niggles or whatever was going on, a ban i think is sufficient,

I think the referee just thought o'connell shouldnt have gone rushing into the little tussle to start with, and then he got in a scrap of his own and threw some punches and therefore needed to calm down and cool off for a bit! it was probably one of those situations where o'connell could never have won, i mean obviously he is going to rush in and try and sort out whats going on, then he either has the option of hit back or stand there and let cudmore practice right hooks on his noggin.......either way he could have been knocked out or taken the yellow........yes it was harsh, some of you dont agree, such is life end of, etc lets just get on with the game so to speakwelcome back RD

Just want to say Merry Christmas to rugbydump and a big thank you for all the footage you've provided throughout the year, a fantastic website!

Well anyway everyone knows that the brits don't want french clubs in their HC so good move

wow! 70 comments. I think Cudmore got the 5 week ban cause there trying to get rid of fights from rugby.so players can just get on with the game. POC didnt do much and there was no need for that pillark to punch him in the first place.

i saw o connel getting smashed in the face a few times in the replay, but this was hard to spot. cudmore and o connel desrved what they got :D

O'Connell was only defending him self cudmore threw a few punches before he had to defend himself and cudmore should have gotten longer on his ban and O'Connell should have gotten away with a warming cudmore engaged both DOC and POC in a fist fight and kept punching when told to stop

cowardly play puching when o connel was not looking

"Enjoy seeing physical contact, think maybe we should take an NHL attitude to fighting, don't worry too much unless one player is at a disadvantage."Then again I'm Canadian but I sorta agree...Also, Cudmore can be a loose canon but it is likely POC started it in the ruck.

^||BULLSHIT, YOU CAN SEE CUDMORE PUNCHING WHOEVER MADE THE INITIAL TACKLE!!!

moral of the story, dont fight POC, he will kill u ,even if u get 2 cheapies in 1st.

On peut parler en franais aussi.Cudmore l'a bien astiqu c'est ce qu'il mrite mais honte l'arbitrage 1 jaune et 1 rouge!Equitable??? Fuck The Saxon Referees.Ils subissent la pression dans les stades Britanique et c'est pas la premire fois. Weekend d'avant drop de Biarritz refus la vido pourtant bien valable pfff!!Incredible!

Translation:They can speak in French also.Cudmore slicked up well it it is what he deserves but shame in arbitration 1 yellow and 1 red!Equitable??? Fuck The Saxon Referees.They are subjected to pressure in British stadia and it is not the first time. Former drop weekend of Biarritz refused video however very valid phew!! Incredible!

Il y a aussi le carton rouge reus par julien tomas lors du match aller montpellier - northampton! puis l'essai accepter lors du match aller stade franais - harlequins o il y a un placage a retardement!Certains anglais qui parle sur ceux blog me font vraiment piti, il n'ont aucun fairplay vis vis des clubs franais ( mais bon, faut pas mettre tous le monde dans le mme sac).

Why punish the guy thats defending himself makes no sense?

Cudmore got read for hitting DOC after the POC incident

Travis73:Thomond Park n'est pas un stade Britanique...

all u can say is if u start a fight in a rugby match like a lil b***h u get owned like one. Cudmore was lucky O'Connell stopped as you must notice he does by choice and the ref couldnt stop him.

I cannot believe some of these comments! 2 yellow would have been fair for both players but I think O'Connell was the main responsible for what happened.

Nothing in that…at best two yellows. Referee as per usual gets it wrong!

They always pick on the Canadian.