Revealed: The extraordinary irony of Rugby Australia losing the plot and trying to ban the fan for FIVE YEARS for calling Eddie Jones a ‘traitor’ – as Australian fans reject the ridiculous decision
Channel Nine executive James Paton faces massive competition ban
He was filmed in a fiery clash with Eddie Jones after Saturday night’s SCG Test
Fans and pundits lash out at Rugby Australia over the absurd penalty
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Rugby Australia has been convicted for wanting to ban a Channel Nine manager from attending matches for five years after he was caught on camera calling England test coach Eddie Jones a ‘traitor’ during a fiery confrontation on Saturday night.
Wallabies fan James Paton yelled, “You’re a traitor!” at Jones as he walked, the sideline belonged to the SCG immediately after England’s victory.
The former Australian national team coach returned fire and said: ‘What did you say? What did you say? Come here and say it,” as he headed straight for Paton as an officer tried to stop him.
Eddie Jones (right) rushes at Wallabies fan James Paton after calling England side coach a ‘traitor’ after Saturday night’s test at the SCG
Channel Nine’s director now faces a five-year ban on Wallabies matches, punishable by the label ‘killing a mosquito with a jackhammer’
Rugby Australia wants to ban Paton from all Wallabies games – and possibly all rugby games – for five years, according to the Australian.
“We had about 140,000 through the gates (for the England series) who behaved impeccably and had a great time. About three people misbehaved in the latest test and we will take a crackdown on them,” Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan told the publication.
The absurd move was quickly slammed by fans and pundits.
‘Rugby Australia is on a very rocky road as it starts handing out five-year bans to supporters who use inflammatory language’ 2GBBen Fordham said Wednesday morning.
“The punishment doesn’t fit the crime, you kill the mosquito with a jackhammer.”
Ex-NRL referee Steve Clark was equally stunned by the absurd penalty.
“For what he said, if that’s five years, I wouldn’t think of what he would have gotten if he’d called an umpire a cheater,” Clark said.
“It’s absolutely over the top.”
Former NRL referee Steve Clark said the ban is ‘absolutely exaggerated’ – and fans joined him in condemning Rugby Australia for seeking the penalty
Rugby fans were quick to join in.
“This is Rugby Australia’s most incredible overreaction,” Nicky Williamson tweeted.
‘Irrational. Knee-jerk. Who are they trying to appease?’ wrote another fan on Twitter.
To put the five-year ban into perspective, the NRL in April 2021 rubbed a spectator for two years for fistfight at a match on Easter Monday.
The league also threatened to ban a fan who knocked another spectator to the ground during the Magic Round at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium in May.
Paton didn’t even swear during his confrontation with Jones at the SCG – and the irony is that the ground has a statue created to commemorate a fan made famous for sledding English players and officials during cricket and rugby competitions.
Ironically, the SCG has a statue commemorating a spectator famous for sledding England players and officials when they faced Australia: Stephen ‘Yabba’ Gascoigne (pictured)
Stephen Gascoigne, better known by his nickname ‘Yabba’, specialized in witty interpellations from his place on The Hill until his death in 1942.
He famously said to an English cricketer, ‘I wish you were a statue and I a dove!’ and said to the hated Bodyline Captain Douglas Jardine, ‘Leave our flies alone, Jardine. They’re the only friends you have here.’
There is a statue of him in the center of the seats where the grassy mound used to be, on which he screams one of his insults with his hands over his mouth.
If caught on camera during Saturday night’s test match, there’s a good chance he’ll face an absurd suspension from the rugby governing body along with Paton.