Recalcitrant Rabeni banned again
Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:56
Leicester Tigers' Fijian centre Seru Rabeni was banned for nine weeks on Thursday - for conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Game (rule 5.12) - after breaking the conditions of an earlier suspension.
Rabeni, 29, pleaded guilty to playing in three Sevens tournaments while serving a 14-week (April 1 to July 7) ban for eye gouging and will now be suspended from August 15 to October 16 and can play again on October 17, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said.
On Thursday he appeared before an RFU Disciplinary Panel consisting of chairman Christopher Quinlan, John Doubleday and John Brennan.
The World Cup star was originally banned for gouging Saracens hooker Andy Kyriacou during Leicester's 36-23 English Premiership victory on March 15.
The ban ruled him out of the EDF Energy Cup Final against the Ospreys, as well as the remainder of the Guinness Premiership campaign.
