Jamie Heaslip left shocked by ban furore

IRELAND No8 Jamie Heaslip has compared the fall-out from his red card against New Zealand to being on trial for murder.

Heaslip was sent off just 15 minutes into Ireland's record 66-28 defeat in New Plymouth for kneeing the All Blacks captain Richie McCaw. The 26-year-old then had to run the New Zealand media gauntlet as he attended a disciplinary hearing, which resulted in a five-week ban.

Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time in the 50th anniversary issue of Rugby World, Heaslip insisted he had been irresponsible rather than malicious. He admitted the whole experience had taught him a valuable lesson.

"I know the media are intense in New Zealand when it comes to rugby, but bloody hell! When I got to the hotel for the hearing there were loads of TV cameras and photographers - it was like a murder trial or something. I'd never go into any game with the objective to hurt someone," said Heaslip. "It's not tiddlywinks out there; I play the game hard and respect players who play hard, Richie being one of them, but I'd never want to hurt another player. Frustration got the better of me, maybe I didn't ruck responsibly, and I suffered the consequences. It's not something I'm proud of and being the only Ireland player to be sent off in professional rugby is not a great record, but I'm a big boy and I've learnt a lot. It's a life lesson."