La Rochelle will be without Tolu Latu for Sunday’s Champions Cup game against Leinster at the Stade Marcel Deflandre after the former Australian international hooker was handed a three-match suspension following an incident in the club’s French Top 14 win over Toulouse last weekend.
The 31-year-old initially received a yellow card for a dangerous clear-out at a ruck that injured Toulouse’s 19-year-old scrumhalf Simon Daroque. Latu, who has started eight of 13 matches for La Rochelle this season, has a poor disciplinary record. One of several red cards was against Connacht while playing for Stade Francais.
Including that 2021-2022 season in which that Connacht game took place, Latu has been sent off three times – after one of which he received an 11-week ban – and also had eight yellow cards, albeit he has only had two sin bins over the past couple of club campaigns.
The Tongan born hooker won 21 caps for the Wallabies between 2016 and 2021.
La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara could do without the setback as he is already without French international Pierre Bourgarit, who has been sidelined since last September with a leg injury.
A Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) statement read: “Tolu Latu was found responsible for dangerous play in the context of a ruck or maul: (iv) player falling on another player or colliding with his lower limbs.
“A suspension of four weeks was the entry point. After taking into account the aggravating circumstance (disciplinary record), the sanction was increased by one week.
“After taking into account mitigating circumstances (recognition of the facts, conduct before and during the hearing, expression of remorse), the sanction was reduced by two weeks. Therefore, Latu is suspended for three weeks.”
O’Gara will likely turn to Quentin Lespiaucq-Brettes to start against Leinster. The latter was on the bench for the two European wins against Bath and Bristol and also came on in the Top 14 win over Toulouse.
Meanwhile, the fate of Ireland international Mack Hansen, who faced a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday regarding comments he made in the wake of Connacht’s URC defeat to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium last month, won’t be known until Thursday.
Hansen hit out at what he perceived to be consistently poor officiating decisions against Connacht and was critical of the game’s TMO.
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