Here are the latest rugby headlines on Monday, July 18.
Ireland star cited over incident that broke All Black's cheekbone
Ireland prop Andrew Porter has been cited following the incident which broke Brodie Retallick's cheekbone in the Test series decider against New Zealand on Saturday.
Porter escaped a red for the upright 53rd-minute tackle against the lock, which resulted in a clash of heads before the All Blacks second-row was removed from the field for a head injury assessment (which he failed). It was later confirmed he had suffered a broken cheekbone.
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After receiving just a yellow card from referee Wayne Barnes, Porter will now face a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, July 19, and could be slapped with a ban.
The incident sparked anger among fans in New Zealand and elsewhere, with many believing a red card should have been issued. Despite the severity of the injury, Porter was only shown a yellow because Barnes judged he had only "absorbed" the tackle, reducing the force of it.
A World Rugby statement said: "Ireland prop Andrew Porter will attend an independent disciplinary hearing after having been cited by the citing commissioner James Sherriff (Australia) for an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.13 (A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously) during Ireland’s test match against New Zealand on 16 July. The player will attend a hearing via video link before an independent Judicial Committee chaired by Adam Casselden SC (Australia), joined by former international player Stefan Terblanche (South Africa) and former international coach Frank Hadden (Scotland)."
Cardiff mourn death of former scrum-half
Cardiff Rugby has paid tribute to former scrum-half Gary Samuel following his death. Samuel represented the Blue and Blacks for a decade, between 1965 and 1976, making 112 first team appearances and scoring 13 tries for the capital city club.
The scrum-half was a member of the club’s first overseas tour to South Africa in 1967, and later featured on the 1972 tour to Rhodesia. Amman Valley native Samuel would go on to represent Pontypridd RFC and, after hanging up his boots, returned to the Arms Park to coach the Blue and Blacks to a Schweppes Cup win, alongside Roger Beard.
A Cardiff Rugby statement said: "The thoughts of everyone at Cardiff Rugby are with Gary’s wife, Bethan, and son, Rhodri at this difficult time."
Tom Youngs returns to farming
Former England and Leicester Tigers star Tom Youngs has thanked fans for their kind messages in the two months since his wife Tiffany died, also revealing he has returned to his farming roots.
Youngs, 35, announced his retirement from rugby following indefinite leave back in April to care for his wife, who tragically died just a few weeks later in June following a long battle with cancer.
He has since returned to his farming roots and has been working a full harvest. The website of Youngs Farm Produce, which is based in Norfolk, says: "Tom, Ben and George are the 4th generation Youngs to call Sankence Farm the home."
Posting on Twitter on Sunday evening, Youngs said: "Retirement going well. Last time I did a full harvest at home was 19 years ago and I was on grain cart and now I am combine driver and loving it. Thank u all for all the kind messages over the last 2 months".
The tweet was accompanied by four images showcasing his harvesting efforts on a tractor.
There were emotional scenes for Youngs and the wider Leicester Tigers community when Tom lifted the Gallagher Premiership trophy aloft alongside his former teammates just over a week after his wife's death. It was Leicester's first Premiership title in almost a decade, and captain Ellis Genge made of point of letting Youngs hold one side of the cup to hoist it into the air.
First sighting of Scarlets' new All Black
All Black Vaea Fifita has been spotted in Scarlets kit for the first time since moving to the Welsh team in a major signing.
The 30-year-old lock or back-row forward was a shining light for Wasps in the Gallagher Premiership last season, but the English giants claimed they simply could not compete financially with the Scarlets for his services, meaning Fifita has swapped Coventry for Llanelli.
Fifita, capped 11 times for the All Blacks, has now been pictured in Scarlets kit during a training session rocking a red locks.
A player blessed with power and pace, he was described by commentators as a "freak of nature" when he arrived on the international scene in 2017. The 6ft 5in, 17st 7lb player also offers a commanding lineout presence and is a renowned pilferer of opposition ball.
While Welsh rugby's financial challenges are well-documented, English clubs are facing their own issues with changes to the salary cap in the competition only allowing a playing budget of £5m, plus one marquee player from next season.
Australia condemn fan behaviour to Eddie Jones as one banned for life
The chief executive of Rugby Australia has condemned the "offensive" remarks and behaviour of fans towards England on Saturday night. England head coach Eddie Jones was involved in an angry confrontation with an Australia fan after being called a "traitor" during the match.
In a statement on Monday, Andy Marinos said the comments made by spectators in the members' area of Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) towards England staff were "unacceptable" and "not representative of the values of rugby".
The chief executive added: "We have a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate behaviour, and we are working with Venues NSW on appropriate sanctions for these individuals.
"Rugby prides itself on values of respect and integrity - as seen in the players of both teams after the final whistle of a hard-fought series at the SCG on Saturday night. It is our expectation that spectators adhere to these values of respect and integrity when attending Rugby matches - and, we would hope, in society in general."
It comes after footage posted on social media from Saturday's 21-17 win showed Jones being baited in two separate incidents on the night England completed a series victory.
In one clip a man wearing a Wallabies cap and holding a pint of beer points a finger at Jones as he walks on to the pitch and says twice "you're a traitor", provoking a furious reaction. Jones stalks over to the stand and replies "come here and say it" three times, causing the surprised fan to back off, and is then ushered away by a member of the ground's security staff. The security guard can be heard saying to the fan "I have spoken to you before".
In another incident which takes place as he walks through the members area of the SCG, Jones is called a traitor once again and this time he replies "what did you say you f****** idiot. Go and f*** yourself mate."
In a separate incident which also occurred during the Third Test of Australia's series with England, another fan was filmed climbing onto the roof of the grandstand and urinating. On Monday, Rugby Australia said the man has been banned for life, called his "deplorable" and "disgraceful".
"This individual has been issued with a life ban from Rugby Australia events - and we will continue to support the authorities in their handling of the matter," Mr Marinos said.
It comes at the end of a successful tour Down Under in which Jones masterminded a valuable series victory 14 months out from the next World Cup.
Ireland go top of world rankings
Ireland have moved top of the men's world rankings following their stunning Test series triumph against New Zealand.
Andy Farrell's team clinched the three-match series following a 32-22 victory over the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday, and they have swapped positions with France to take top spot for only the second time since World Rugby launched its rankings system 19 years ago. Ireland previously headed the rankings for a two-week spell in September 2019.
World champions South Africa remain in third spot, with New Zealand fourth, while England stay fifth, just 0.68 adrift of New Zealand. There is then a 4.08-point gap to Australia in sixth, with Scotland seventh, Wales eighth, Argentina ninth and Japan 10th.
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