Rob Kearney criticises 'muzzle' put on players following Mack Hansen ban
Hansen was handed a three-match ban and must undergo referee and media training.
Rob Kearney has criticised 'muzzles' being put on players after Ireland star Mack Hansen was slapped with a three-match ban following comments made about referees.
Hansen made headlines as he gave his unfiltered thoughts on his perceived treatment from officials towards Connacht, heavily criticising a number of decisions following the province's loss to Leinster.
Along with a three-match ban, Hansen must undergo a referee and media training course.
READ MORE: Mack Hansen to serve three-match ban but available for Six Nations
But Ireland legend Kearney believes silencing players is only to the detriment of the game.
“You cannot completely put a muzzle on players and just not allow them to voice their opinions because they are a key part of the game," said Kearney.
“Without players there is no game. But I do think players have a responsibility to protect the game and to ensure that there is a game in five, ten, 15 years time.
"Rugby is a great game. I love rugby. It is what I did my whole life. The values of rugby are very, very strong. And it is one of the reasons why lots of kids play the game because they think the values of the game are so strong, in terms of team work, camaraderie, respect for officials and the referee, and everything that goes with that.
"I am not trying to pick on soccer but if you go down to a local underage soccer team, you see diving, you see shouting at referees. There is a trade off. We cannot get to a point where every post match interview is a player giving out about the officials because if that is the case we won’t have officials and if we don’t have officials, we won’t have a game, so the quality of referees and officiating in world rugby needs to get better.
“But if we start discouraging people from wanting to become referees then that issue is only going to get bigger. There are arguments for and against both sides.”
And Kearney reckons the punishment handed down to Hansen was a touch harsh.
"I also see a player’s frustration and if it’s something he really believes well then should he have an outlet to voice his opinions? There is arguments for against this, there really is.
"Six matches reduced to three, potentially on the harsh side I would think. A three match ban is not a slap on the wrist, that’s a little bit more than a slap on the wrist. The time from missing games."
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Rob Kearney, Former Ireland, British and Irish Lion, Leinster fullback + Premier Sports Pundit, was previewing the Investec Champions Cup games between Munster and Saracens and La Rochelle and Leinster which will be shown live on Premier Sports this weekend
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