It seems that you can’t go a single day without a banning order being imposed on a rugby union player at the moment, and yesterday was no different as Bath lock Danny Grewcock became the latest player to receive a lengthy sentence for violent conduct.

The 37-year-old was found guilty of stamping on the unluckiest man in the sport right now, Ulster flanker Stephen Ferris, who has now been eye-gouged twice and had his arm stamped on all in the space of two months.

No-one quite knows the reason why Ferris has attracted so many violent attacks in recent weeks – perhaps he smashed a mirror or walked under a few ladders? Even if he is one of the most infuriating players to play against, the Irishman didn’t deserve to have fingers in his eyes or indeed, a studded boot forced down on his arm.

However, in comparison to the bans handed out to Stade Français duo Julien Dupuy and David Attoub, Grewcock’s is considerably more lenient.

Dupuy and Attoub were handed bans of 23 weeks and an incredible 70 weeks, respectively, for eye-gouging offences; but the punishment for Grewcock’s stamp currently stands at a tame seven-weeks, meaning the lock will be back in action by March 13th.

The second-rower committed the offence during Bath’s 28-10 defeat against Ulster in Pool Four of the Heineken Cup at the Recreation Ground and was informed of his ban yesterday at a disciplinary hearing in Dublin by a European Rugby Cup committee.

Despite the severity of the stamp, which could easily have resulted in a broken arm with the amount of force applied by the Bath lock, it was only deemed “mid-range in the level of seriousness” at the hearing.

The England international has history when it comes to violence conduct – perhaps this will come as slight consolation to Ferris, who must have developed a complex over the last two months.

Grewcock was banned for two-weeks just last November for striking Saracens’ Neil de Kock with his arm in a Guinness Premiership clash between Bath and the table-toppers, and prior to that, the former Saracens man also has been punished for a succession of other punching and stamping incidents.

He was even issued with a two-month ban for biting in 2005 – so surely he should have been handed a ban similar to that of Dupuy to really hammer home the message that such behaviour won’t be tolerated?

Grewcock was awarded an MBE in 2003 for services to rugby union, but since then he has continued to cement his reputation as a thug of the sport; and this latest assault will hardly help his cause to shift it.

The back-rower hasn’t got long left in the game, and it would be unfortunate if he tarnishes his reputation as a decent player by continuing to let the dreaded red mist get the better of him.

Rob Swan