Stade Francais prop David Attoub has been hit with a mammoth 70-week ban from rugby union for gouging in a European Cup clash in December.

The International Rugby Board announced on Tuesday that rules governing the breakdown would remain in force but that a review would start in 2010.

Football gets by on 11 rules: a simple game for simple folk. Rugby has 22 laws, each one of which has myriad sub-clauses. On top of that there are the variations, laws adapted for under 19-rugby and different ones for seven-a-side. Now the big boys have their own discrepancies.

England head into Friday's crunch clash against South Africa with the key duty of goal-kicking set to be given to a man who has yet to score a Test match point in the union game. Andy Farrell was a prolific goal-kicker in rugby league but since his transfer from Wigan to Saracens in March 2005 has struck precious few kicks.