The news that Leinster second-row Heyden Triggs will be suspended for three weeks after 'making contact with the area around the eyes' of Montpellier's Nic White, has seen a backlash in the French media.
The footage does not look good for Triggs, and yet he will face only three weeks out of action for an act that has seen players punished much more severely in recent times.
This point has been hammered home by a number of media outlets who are left stunned by the supposed double standards of the EPCR Disciplinary Committee, who opted to ban Francois Steyn for four weeks, one longer than Triggs, for a late and high hit on Johnny Sexton.
In an article on Sport.fr headlined 'Discipline: The Masquerade Continues', we learned, among other things, that an eye-gouge is known as a 'fork':
Once again, the European bodies of rugby cover themselves with ridicule in terms of sanctions. Now more than ever, as proceedings saw 4 weeks of suspension inflicted on Montpellier's Frans Steyn, when a fork [eye gouge] of the Irish Hayden Triggs will be worth to its author only ... 3 weeks out of the grounds.
Similar sentiments were shared in an article on Triggs' ban over on LeClubRugby.fr:
If some bad tongues say that the EPCR Disciplinary Committee operates in double standards, well ... They will not be contradicted on that score. Hayden Triggs, player of Leinster, is indeed suspended three weeks for having made a fork [gouge] on his opponent Montpellier's Nic White. Three weeks. A boon for this kind of act which is often sanctioned by twelve weeks. For example, Etienne Falgoux, player of ASM Clermont Auvergne, had been suspended seven weeks for the same gesture whereas, for example, Rory Best, the timeless Irishman, had been cleared by this same commission...
We do like the fact that Best was referred to as a 'timeless Irishman' there.
Rugbyrama.fr also pointed out the fact that Steyn was handed a longer ban for an illegal tackle than Triggs was for contact around the eyes of Nic White:
While Montpellier's center, François Steyn, was given a one-month suspension for a dangerous tackle on Johnny Sexton in the match against Leinster, his opponent Hayden Triggs is suspended for three weeks for "touching the area Surrounding Nic White's eyes."
Fans have also been airing their grievances with the decision on social media:
70 semaines de suspension à gauche , 3 semaines à droite ... David Attoub à Gauche, Hayden Triggs à droite . ??? quelqu'un m'explique? pic.twitter.com/87uqQwerSe
— Marvin O'connor (@Marvin_Oconnor) January 18, 2017
The fact that Steyn was handed a four-week ban, for a tackle that Sexton even played down in his post-match interview as not being a big deal, makes the decision to ban Triggs for three weeks look a strange one.
While of course it is a big boost for Leinster to have Triggs available after his three game suspension is up, we're self aware enough to know that we would react similarly to the publications above if the shoe was on the other foot.
Allegations of double standards are one thing, but consistency is certainly an issue for the EPCR Disciplinary Committee, and they are taking some serious heat over in France for their latest series of banning actions.
