Azam slapped with nine week ban

OLIVIER AZAM was last night found guilty of eye gouging and banned for nine weeks by an RFU panel.

The French hooker will not play again until September 18 after making contact with the eyes of Cardiff's Jamie Roberts during the EDF Energy Cup final.

The bans runs from today but takes into account the close season period agreed by the RFU and Premier Rugby, the umbrella organisation which represents the clubs.

Azam appeared in Coventry last night at a second hearing. He was first called before a different RFU panel at the Filton Holiday Inn on April 27.

But the case was dismissed on that occasion on the grounds it had been raised too long after the Twickenham game, which Gloucester lost 50-12.

But when disciplinary officer, judge Jeff Blackett, reviewed the case, he set new hearingdate, which was always likely to find him guilty.

Azam told the Citizen in March that he would sign a new contract at Gloucester keeping him at the club to the end of his career, although it is yet to be confirmed.

That came despite a big money offer from Toulon and Philippe Saint Andre, the man who originally brought the Frenchman to Kingsholm.

Azam remains a firm favourite among the Kingsholm fans, winning the player of the year award this season, his eighth with the club.

● MEANWHILE, Gloucester have ex- pressed their disappointment at the decision to move the venue of the European Challenge Cup final to the Stoop after complaints from both Bourgoin and Northampton about holding it at Kingsholm.

Gloucester Rugby's head of sales and marketing, Pete Grzonka, said: "Whilst we're obviously disappointed with the fact that we will not be hosting the European Challenge Cup final here at Kingsholm as we were very much looking forward to it, we understand the reasons behind the decision.

"We can take solace from the fact that we were originally ERC's first choice to host the fixture."