Life ban on French league man
Jean-Jacques Cologni, a second-row forward who once sprinted 70m to score a try in a test at Carlaw Park, ha's apparently been banned for life and will not be with the French rugby league team when it arrives in Christchurch today. Disciplinary action has also been taken against the highly-rated French scrumhalf. Yvan Greseque, who has been stripped of the vicecaptaincy. A life suspension of Cologni was recommended after an extensive judicial enquiry into incidents which caused the abandonment of the French club championship final and which marred an earlier cup semi-final. Cologni was accused of assaulting a touch judge after the cup match and was a central figure in the disgraceful brawl which halted the championship final between his side, Catalan, and Villeneuve after only five minutes.
The tension in the championship game was caused when two Catalan players had been given reprieves from suspensions and allowed to play. The chairman of the judicial committee Which made that ruling was subsequently sacked in the aftermath of the violence.
Fears that the national representatives from the two clubs might refuse to team together for France have apparently been alleviated. Apart from Cologni, the other players are included on a list received by the team’s travel agents earlier this week. None of the Frenchmen will have played since the aborted championship final until they run on to the Show Grounds to meet South Island next Wednesday evening.
Several members of the New Zealand Rugby League council, including the president (Mr Ron McGregor), will be in Christchurch for the match, but the league’s secretary, Mr Ross Williams, said from Auckland yesterday that he did not expect trouble from the French.
“Ron (McGregor) will no doubt have discussions with the French management, and might broach the subject of conduct, diplomatically,” Mr Williams said. “I am sure that the French have already had the message of what is expected of them. The French Ministry of Sport came down very heavily on them, and it seems from the various suspensions meted out that they have heeded the word,” he said.
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Press, 29 May 1981, Page 32
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351Life ban on French league man Press, 29 May 1981, Page 32
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