The biggest bans in rugby this season as Welsh player suspended for 10 years

Rugby wouldn't be what it is without a few villains. But every now and then, some players cross the line with their thumping tackles and spirited trash-talking becoming dangerous, reckless challenges and frankly unacceptable conduct.

In those instances, players are punished with suspensions with the game's most serious offenders being slapped with some lengthy bans. While many are out for a few weeks, some can be ruled out for months or, on the rarest of occasions, banned from the game for the rest of their life.

The past 12 months has seen some sizeable suspensions handed out, from the community game all the way up to the Six Nations and World Cup. Here are some of the biggest bans we've seen in rugby in the last year.

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George Moala - five weeks

During Tonga's World Cup warm-up match against Canada, centre Moala was shown a red card for a tip tackle on Ben LeSage. The former All Black could have no complaints about the decision itself, but the Pacific Islanders were left fuming when he was slapped with an inital ten-game ban, which threatened to rule him out of the entirety of the Rugby World Cup and beyond.

After a disciplinary committee considered mitigating factors, the suspension was reduced to five games and Moala made one appearance at the World Cup, scoring in a pool stage match against Romania. However, there was still anger over the length of his suspension when, in the same week, then-England captain Owen Farrell saw his red card for an illegal tackle against Wales overturned.

Jonathan Danty - five weeks

The French centre was sent off against Italy during the Six Nations as his side's campaign went from bad to worse ahead of their trip to Wales. Danty missed the rest of the tournament after he was shown a yellow card at the end of the first half in Lille for a dangerous head-on-head tackle on Italy's Juan Ignacio Brex, with this later upgraded to a red.

A disciplinary committee decided that the incident warranted a six-week suspension. The ban was reduced by two weeks due to the player acknowledging his guilt and apologising, but a further week was added due to his disciplinary record, having received a red card for La Rochelle back in December.

Paul Willemse - five weeks (and four weeks)

Danty's international teammate has spent over two months of this season ruled out through suspension, picking up two lengthy bans over the course of the campaign. He became the second player in Six Nations history to sent off twice at the tournament earlier this year, receiving a four match ban after being shown two yellow cards against Ireland, three years after being red-card against Wales.

After returning from that ban, Willemse played just three games for club side Montpellier before receiving his second red card of the season. The lock was sent off in the 41st minute of their Challenge Cup clash with Ulster in April and was banned for five weeks, while his side threw away a 17-7 lead to lose 40-17 in his absence.

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Murray Koster - five weeks

The Sharks centre was shown a red card in the final moments of his side's URC clash with Benetton in May, having made head-on-head contact with an opponent at the breakdown. The reckless clearout saw him considered for a top-end suspension of 10 weeks, but his exemplary disciplinary record saw this halved to five.

Emily Robinson - five weeks

Back in December, the Harlequins flanker was sent off for headbutting Saracens centre Sydney Gregson after the final whistle had been blown, sparking chaotic scenes. Gregson appeared to have taken umbrage with something Quins' Ella Cromack said while holding the ball, and shoved her opponent backwards - before Robinson charged towards her , leading with her head.

Chaos unfolded as replacements then flooded the pitch, but referee Mike Hudson managed to calm things down before showing the back row a red card. Robinson was slapped with a five-week ban and she admitted at the disciplinary hearing that she was "disappointed in myself".

Fane Eti Haungatau - five weeks

The USA centre was suspended for five weeks for an "absolutely savage" tackle on Wales fly-half Robyn Wilkins back in October, having recklessly flown into the challenge at full speed and made shoulder-to-head contact. The offence was only deemed a yellow card offence during Wales' 38-13 win, with referee Clara Munarini saying that Wilkins' low height was a big factor in the card being yellow and not red.

However, Haungatau was later cited with an independent judicial committee ruling that there was no applicable mitigation as set out in World Rugby’s head contact processes. The committee started with a 10-week suspension, but after acknowledging there were no aggravating factors, the player's admission of foul play, her remorse and clean disciplinary record, this was reduced to a five-week ban.

Frank Lomani - six weeks

The Fiji international was shown a red card during Fiji Drua's clash with Melbourne Rebels in April, having thrown a brutal elbow directly into the head of Rebels lock Josh Canham. The Australian was left bleeding profusely as the crowd groaned at the replays of the shocking incident.

Lomani was given a six-week ban, which was reduced from 10 weeks after an early guilty plea and "other relevant mitigating factors". However, there was widespread surprise and outrage at that ruling, with many feeling that he should have been given a far harsher punishment and some expecting him to be suspended for the rest of the season.

Jasper Wiese - six weeks

The Springbok star's Leicester Tigers career came to a shocking end as he was shown a red card against Exeter Chiefs on the final day of the Premeirship season. The number eight was given his marching orders after driving Ross Vintcent into the ground head first at a ruck, with his sending off described as a "horrible final act" and a "moment of madness" by pundits and commentators.

Wiese - who is set to move to Japan this summer - has been hit with a six-week ban, which means he will miss the match against Wales at Twickenham on June 22, as well as the Springboks' two-Test series with Ireland, a friendly against Portugal and a Rugby Championship double-header against Australia.

Johnny Williams - six weeks

The Scarlets centre was hit with a six-week ban, just a day after missing out on Wales' Six Nations squad. A disciplinary hearing deemed Williams' head-on-head collision with Clermont centre Julien Heriteau, as the top end of World Rugby's sanctions for a dangerous tackle - with the punishments ranging from 10 weeks to 52.

Taking the injuries suffered by the Clermont centre into account, the committee deemed that 12 weeks was the appropriate entry point for the "dangerous and reckless" tackle. However, that was halved due to Williams' apology to Heriteau and his acceptance of the charge.

Luke Stratford - seven weeks

The Leicester Tigers forwards coach was suspended for seven weeks for verbally abusing a match official during his side's Women's Premiership Rugby defeat by Bristol back in January

Stratford was cited for using an expletive and calling fourth official Adam White "a joke" during the match, with a disciplinary panel finding him guilty of "conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game". At the hearing, the former Jersey Reds hooker "fully accepted" that his behaviour was "inappropriate and unacceptable".

Matt Cairns - 12 weeks

The Caldy RFC head coach was given a 12-week suspension after being charged with verbally abusing/ disrespecting a match official and "conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game " during his side's clash with Doncaster Knights on April 13. Cairns admitted the charge but denied some of the particulars within the match officials’ evidence.

Unnamed Welsh rugby player - 10 years

An unnamed Welsh rugby player was hit with a whopping 10 year ban earlier this year, as the Welsh Rugby Union issued a bold statement saying they are not afraid to make tough decisions around the abuse of referees.

The player was banned for a decade as the result of the 'exceptionally serious nature of the offence’ which showed significant and unacceptable disrespect to a young referee.

WRU community director Geraint John said: “We're not going to tolerate poor behaviour. We are determined to stamp it out. But, to do that we need the support of everybody in clubs and in school and in the minis and juniors to help us to do this."

Unnamed Grootfontein Rugby Club player - lifetime ban

A Namibian rugby player was handed a lifetime ban after wiping out a referee during a match between Grootfontein Rugby Club and Reho Falcons in May. In shocking footage, the Grootfontein player can be seen walking away from the rest of the players, before turning around, sprinting towards the official and brutally tackling him.

After recovering from the hit, the referee showed the player a red card and ended the match early over concerns for his safety. A disciplinary hearing subsequently slapped the player with a lifetime ban from playing rugby and a 156-week ban from all forms of rugby, including coaching, refereeing and administration.