Here are the latest rugby headlines on Monday, August 8.
South Africa star banned
Springboks wing Kurt-Lee Arendse has been banned for four weeks for the dangerous aerial challenge on New Zealand's Beauden Barrett that left both men needing medical attention during Saturday's Rugby Championship match.
The incident ( which you can see here ) saw Arendse himself leave the field on a stretcher in a neck brace after the game was halted for several minutes. The challenge has been described as "the clearest red card you'll ever see" and left the All Blacks deeply unhappy.
Arendse pleaded guilty to the charge, which helped get the eight-week entry point ban cut in half.
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All Blacks scrum-half Aaron Smith described seeing team-mate Barrett flip in the air as "pretty scary" after Arendse took him out with no realistic chance of competing for the ball.
Coach Ian Foster was also unhappy, saying: “We’re going to have a look at them chucking bodies in the air, we were pretty frustrated with that. The one in the first half we weren’t very happy with, and certainly the last one, was very dangerous."
The disciplinary committee's judgement read: “With respect to sanction, the Foul Play Review Committee considered the act of foul play was reckless, highly dangerous and had a considerable impact on the victim player. The committee accepted it was not deliberate and after considering all relevant factors decided the foul play merited a mid-range entry point of eight weeks. However, taking into account mitigating factors including the player’s clean judicial record and his acceptance of guilt at the first available opportunity, the Foul Play Review Committee reduced the suspension to four weeks. The player is therefore suspended for four weeks, up to and including 17 September 2022.”
New World Rankings
New Zealand have dropped to an all-time low of fifth on World Rugby's official rankings list.
The All Blacks' 26-10 defeat against South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener continued a dismal run of form.
It was their third successive loss following two home reversals against Ireland in July, which represents New Zealand's worst run of results since 1998.
And they have now swapped places with England, who move up to fourth, as pressure mounts on All Blacks head coach Ian Foster.
Ireland, on the back of their 2-1 Test series triumph against New Zealand, remain top, with reigning Six Nations champions France second and the Springboks third.
Scotland, meanwhile, are in seventh place and Wales eighth. You can see the full rankings here.
Cardiff board meeting latest
Cardiff Rugby have released brief details of the club's latest board meeting to fans.
Chief executive Richard Holland revealed discussions were being had around a proposal to reduce the WRU Premiership from 12 teams to nine, with feedback sought from all staff. It's believed the WRU are looking to cut the number of clubs from 12 to nine for the season after next, with two from each region, plus a north Wales side.
Deciding on the nine teams is likely to prove a hugely contentious issue. In the capital region you have Cardiff RFC, Pontypridd and Merthyr. In west Wales you have Carmarthen, Llandovery and Llanelli, while in the Ospreys region there’s Aberavon, Swansea and Bridgend.
Cardiff's update also confirmed boss Dai Young has also been holding "think tank" sessions with his rugby department to try to turn performances and results around, with work ongoing to develop a positive and effective culture.
Finance director Neil Bryan said the region were still awaiting the outcome of discussions between the PRB and WRU to conclude to establish Cardiff Rugby’s cash position moving forward. Bosses from the four Welsh regions and Union have been meeting for the past few months to try to thrash out a pro rugby structure that will finally be able to deliver success.
New-look Dragons meet fans
Dragons RFC have announced the squad will hold an open training session at Abertillery RFC on Friday.
It will be a chance for supporters to meet the new-look squad train at Abertillery Park. The Dragons have signed a host of new players for the forthcoming season, including Sio Tomkinson, Bradley Roberts, Sean Lonsdale, JJ Hanrahan and Max Clark.
Rugby World Cup looks to emulate Euro 2022
World Rugby plans to channel England's energy at Euro 2022 by delivering a safe and successful women's World Cup later this year, the Press Association report.
Sarah Hunter's Red Roses will head to New Zealand in October confident of matching the success of football's Lionesses as they top the world rankings and are unbeaten in 23 Tests.
World Rugby has stressed that the tournament will promote good brain health for players through leading protocols and programmes.
"The success of the Lionesses and the Euros as a whole captivated a nation and it has challenged us all to embrace the enormous opportunity and power of women in sport, which we are doing," World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin told the PA news agency.
"We are the next big cab off the rank in this transformational year of women's sport with a groundbreaking Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, which will be big in many ways.
"For the world's best women to realise their potential on the world's biggest stages, we need to walk the talk and deliver a world-class experience at our major events.
"We must walk the talk. And that is what we are doing in New Zealand."
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