Seven-match ban for Hock after ref clash

Mark Bowering

Seven-match ban for Hock after ref clash image

Hock – no stranger to controversy – was found guilty of the offence by the Rugby Football League (RFL) on Tuesday after colliding with referee Matt Thomason in his side's 35-22 Super League win over Hull FC at the weekend. 

Remarkably, the sanction marks the third time the 30-year-old has been punished for such an offence and means that Hock will be out of action for the remainder of the regular season.

Outspoken Salford owner Marwan Koukash, another divisive figure in the sport, does not intend to appeal the ban, but did appear to take a sly dig at the RFL over their handling of the incident. 

"Was I surprised? Not at all. It took the RFL less than 3 minutes to announce it. Very efficient for once," Koukash posted on Twitter. 

"Not going to waste time and money on appealing. Hope our players make sure that Hock plays again this season (in the Super League play-offs). Let's move on."

 Hock, dumped from England's World Cup squad last October for "serious breaches of team discipline", will also pay a £300 fine.

Mark Bowering