Jones accepts Cannon ban

AUSTRALIA coach Eddie Jones accepted the two-week ban on hooker Brendan Cannon yesterday for punching but believes All Black players should also have been in the dock.

Cannon was suspended for throwing a punch at his opposite number Keven Mealamu during New Zealand’s 16-7 victory in the tri-nations test in Wellington on Saturday.

“We asked that the judiciary have a look at a number of the other players but they deemed not to take any action,” Jones told a media conference.

Jones said New Zealand continually flouted the law at the tackle breakdown and this had led to Cannon’s action. He had been complaining about this alleged illegal tackle ball play by the All Blacks since arriving in Wellington on Thursday.

Jones said some of the New Zealand players should have been subjected to the same scrutiny by South African citing commissioner Edwin Wyngaard, who collared Cannon for the punch that led to a prolonged fracas involving a number of players.

“Everyone’s seen what was involved in the incident. We’re disappointed that possibly there weren’t other players involved in the judiciary today,” he said. All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen said the rulings of both Wyngaard and Irish referee Alain Rolland should not be so easily dismissed by Jones.

“The referee’s got a job to do and he saw it as well as us and he didn’t see a problem with it (Mealamu’s action at the tackle ball),” Hansen said.

“Rugby’s a competitive game, it’s a contact sport, and from time to time people are going to boil over. It’s no big deal, let’s move on.”

Hansen said Cannon’s act was probably frustration at the lack of ball the Wallabies were getting.

“I don’t think it had anything to do with being cleaned out. The guy just whopped him from frustration.”

Mealamu, who spent 10 minutes in the sin-bin with Cannon for retaliation, denied the All Blacks were breaking rules at the breakdown and said they were not to blame for fisticuffs.

“We’re not the ones throwing punches first,” Mealamu said. “We just got on a roll yesterday and just managed to hold on to the ball more than them. It’s always tough not being able to hold the ball for a period of time.”

New Zealand play South Africa in Christchurch in the next round of the tri-Nations, while Australia have a week off.

Cannon will therefore only miss the Wallabies’ match against South Africa in Perth on July 31 and will be back for the return New Zealand match in Sydney the following week.