Ronan O'Gara feels harshly treated after getting a 10-week ban for a message he sent to the head of referees in France.
The La Rochelle boss will be absent from the sidelines for another eight matches after already missing the French side's recent clashes against Castres Olympique and Stade Francais.
It comes after what Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) described as an “attack on the best interests of rugby” from O'Gara.
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But the former Munster out-half, who recently signed a new contract with the Champions Cup holders, feels his punishment is overly severe.
“It is very damaging to the team in the fact that on game day you can’t have a role. It has a big impact and you see it more and more,” O’Gara admitted.
“Obviously it’s a crucial two months in December and January where everything is more or less decided in trying to push for qualification or else scrapping for places.
“I’m not going to say anything more, I’ll just say my choice of words were very poor but the time doesn’t fit the crime.”
O'Gara, talking to Off The Ball, didn't go into any details as to what he said to the LNR to prompt the punishment.
“They’ve sent me messages already, it’s just the fact that in this case I was of the opinion that it was a private conversation, which it wasn’t,” O’Gara explained.
“Communication had been established for a number of years, yet my wording pushed him over the line to report me. As a result I received a 10-week ban.”
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