On the face of it nine weeks seems a long time, but the length of the ban takes into account the fact that we are currently in the close-season. Perhaps rugby has to lesson to learn from footy here ... banning players for a certain nunber of games would make life so much simpler.
Ollie has been banned after being found guilty of gouging during the EDF final against Cardiff Blues ... a re-convened hearing after the first was called off because the charge was raised too long after the game.
Player of the season Azam will be missing until September 18.
The Glaws marketing department say they are disappointed to lose the EEC final, which was due to be played at Kingsholm. It has been switched to the Stoop after both Northampton and Bourgoin complained about the geography of the venue.
Meanwhile, the silence from behind the scenes at Kingsholm is deafening as the promised end-of-season post-mortem hopefully continues.
TW calmed the post-season storm as fans demanded blood following Gloucester's disppointing end to the season by promising that he and others would sit down and discuss what went wrong, why it went wrong and what to do to ensure it doesn't happen again.
Coach Dean Ryan has meanwhile been getting on with starting his preparations for next season, but the sooner his position is clarified and, if necessary, new appoiontments are made on the coaching staff, the sooner everybody's attention can focus 100 per cent on 2009-10.
No matter how much of the blame for last season is heaped at Ryan's feet, a decision needs to be made on his future, and that is down to TW. He is head man and he calls the shots, but if it is decided that Ryan stays, then hopefully he will be given full backing in order to give him the best chance of rebuilding a team that not only underperformed but is also losing a raft of influential and valuable players.
Over to you TW.

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