Tag: Rugby

It’s must win for the Sharks when they host a much-changed Jaguares side in their Super Rugby fixture at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.

With just one spot available in the play-offs, the Sharks must beat the Argentines and hope the Rebels lose at the Highlanders. There is a scenario that the Sharks could still progress if the Rebels take one bonus-point from the game as they’d have a better points differential.

All the mathematical headaches, however, will not concern the Sharks as they know the job at hand, which they should be able to accomplish.

This is a Jaguares side clearly preparing for next weekend as they have already booked their place in the knockouts thanks to a superb run. Granted that came to an end last week in Pretoria but to make the play-offs is a remarkable achievement. Many an opposition will fear them.

What is also in the hosts’ favour is that each of the Sharks’ last seven matches has been won by the home team on the day, with the Durban side picking up four home wins in that time. Although they lost in Buenos Aires, expect them to prevail in Durban. But will it be in vain?

All eyes will be on Dunedin on Saturday morning South African time, with Robert du Preez’s men hoping a second-string Highlanders side can do them a favour before the action kicks off in Durban.

The last time the teams met: The Jaguares claimed their first ever win over the Sharks in May this year as they prevailed 29-13 in Buenos Aires. A hat-trick from Ramiro Moyano and one from Bautista Delguy helped the Argentines to a bonus-point win, with Ruan Botha replying for the Sharks.

Players to watch:

For Sharks: The Sharks will need to press themselves on their opponents up front where Tendai Mtawarira, Thomas du Toit and Akker van der Merwe need to show their class. However, it’s the game management that we feel the hosts must capitalise on especially against an inexperienced Jaguares fly-half. Robert du Preez is therefore charged with getting on top in the playmaking department which he will be confident of doing.

For Jaguares: Rare game time will be relished by several Jaguares players on Saturday, one of which is Julian Montoya. So often playing second fiddle to Agustin Creevy, Montoya will be eager to impress so expect a busy hour of work before Creevy appears. Elsewhere keep an eye on Ramiro Moyano, who proved a handful in the reverse fixture earlier this year.

Team news: Sharks head coach Robert du Preez has largely stuck with last week’s side in naming his team for Saturday.

That this is a must-win match, a knock-out or final if you will, cannot be more emphasised and the team know only too well the importance riding on the outcome of the match.

As expected, Beast Mtawarira returns in place of Juan Schoeman after having his workload reduced last week, while Kobus van Wyk replaces the injured Sbu Nkosi on the wing.

The good news is that Daniel du Preez has been cleared to play and takes his place at number eight.

Meanwhile, the Jaguares have made wholesale changes to their starting line-up for their final regular-season game of the campaign.

With a play-off spot already secured, head coach Mario Ledesma has rung the changes in order to rest his first-team ahead of next weekend.

Up front there is a new front-row as Javier Diaz, Santiago Medrano and Julian Montoya come in while second-row Tomas Lavanini, flank Marcos Kremer and number eight Juan Manuel Leguizamón are the other new faces in the pack.

The backline is also freshened up as Martin Landajo and Joaquín Díaz Bonilla are the half-backs, Bautista Ezcurra comes in at 12 while Sebastian Cancelliere is on the left wing, with Ramiro Moyano moving to full-back.

Form: The Sharks have been inconsistent throughout this season with their record of six wins, a draw and eight defeats meaning their hopes of knockout rugby come down to the final day. Of late they have won, lost, won, lost, won, lost and will hope that pattern continues on Saturday.

The Jaguares meanwhile had their seven-game winning streak ended last week at the hands of the Bulls at Loftus. That run of form however has secured them a play-off spot which is remarkable considering their early-season form.

Prediction: Against a much-changed Jaguares side it’s hard not to lean towards the hosts. Sharks by 15.

Previous results:

2018: Jaguares won 29-13 in Buenos Aires
2017: Sharks won 33-25 in Buenos Aires
2017: Sharks won 18-13 in Durban
2016: Sharks won 25-22 in Buenos Aires
2016: Sharks won 19-15 in Durban

The teams:

Sharks: 15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Ruan Botha (c), 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Wian Vosloo, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Makazole Mapimpi

Jaguares: 15 Ramiro Moyano, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Sebastian Cancelliere, 10 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Javier Diaz
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Santiago Garcia Botta, 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Javier Ortega Desio, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Nicolas Sanchez, 23 Emiliano Boffelli

Date: Saturday, July 14
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 17:15 local (16:15 BST, 15:15 GMT)
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Assistant Referees: Egon Seconds, Archie Sehlako
TMO: Willie Vos

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Exeter Chiefs wing Alex Cuthbert has praised the club’s organisation after joining from Cardiff Blues and is looking to press for honours.

Cuthbert admits he cannot wait to pull on an Exeter jersey for the first time as the countdown to the 2018/19 Premiership season continues apace.

The Lions finisher arrived at Exeter a month earlier than planned due to an injury picked up on Blues duty and has been enjoying his time thus far.

“I came to Exeter pretty much straight after my injury because I knew that was my season over and I just wanted to get down here,” he told Exeter’s website. “I’ve been doing lots of work with the physios to make sure I’m 100 per cent ready for the start of the season.

“I’ve had a bit of a headstart but it doesn’t make things any easier. I know I’ve got a battle to win a place here with the quality of competition from guys like Jack Nowell, Olly Woodburn, James Short and Santiago Cordero.

“That’s exactly the sort of competition you want in a back three and it’s a long old season, so to have the depth and quality is great for the team. I’ll relish that battle and it’s always what brings out the best in me.”

On the prospect of playing in a new league, he added: “I’ve always wanted to play in the Premiership. It’s one of the best leagues going and to have the opportunity of joining one of the best teams in England and Europe now is something I wanted to grab with both hands.

“I’m only 28 and still have a lot to offer. I bring size and speed and I’ve got a lot of power. With the experience I’ve got of playing in a lot of big games, I’m looking to bring that out and win things at the Chiefs. Obviously they are coming right off another good season, they were unlucky not to win the title again last season, but already you can see everyone at the club is determined to get back on top again.”

Cuthbert also revealed that he had to weigh up waiting in Wales in the hope of reaching 50 international caps, but instead decided the time was right to move on, which he is pleased he did.

“Reaching 50 caps was obviously in the back of my mind, but I just needed a change and when the opportunity came up at Exeter it was perfect. They’d been tracking me for a quite a while and I first spoke to Rob Baxter and Ali Hepher a couple of years ago, so if a top club like this is looking at you and they feel you’ve got something to offer, it gives you a lot of confidence,” he continued.

“Tomas Francis is down here already and I’ve spoken to other guys like Damian Welch, Ceri Sweeney and Tom James, all of whom have been at Exeter in the past. They couldn’t speak highly enough of the places it’s ticked every box so far.

“It’s different to what I’ve been used to at Cardiff, it’s a far bigger organisation and the way they go about things is probably on another level, but I’ve settled in well and I know it’s a club that’s pushing for honours.”

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The Chiefs continued with their fine recent form despite a red card for Johnny Faauli, defeating the Hurricanes 28-24 in Hamilton on Friday.

Although both these sides were already assured of a place in the play-offs, the Chiefs needed to beat the Hurricanes by more than 22 points to move above the men from Wellington on the overall table and, in doing so, secure a home quarter-final.

The Chiefs made their intentions known from the outset and raced into a 21-0 at half-time lead thanks to tries from Brodie Retallick, Brad Weber and Solomon Alaimolo.

The Hurricanes fought back to narrow the gap to two points courtesy of tries from Wes Goosen, Blade Thomson and Ben May before Mitchell Karpik sealed the win for the hosts with a 73rd minute five-pointer, although Julian Savea scored a consolation try for the visitors in the game’s closing stages.

Retallick opened the Chiefs account when he barged over from close quarters in the seventh minute after Toni Pulu and Shaun Stevenson set him up with strong runs in the build-up.

Ten minutes later, a Hurricanes attack on the edge of the Chiefs’ 22 went awry when Weber intercepted an inside pass from Beauden Barrett before racing away to score his side’s second try.

Two minutes later, the Hurricanes suffered a further setback when their captain, Brad Shields, was forced off the field with an injury.

The visitors continued to struggle and just before the half-hour mark Anton Lienert-Brown launched an attack down the left-hand touchline before offloading to Stevenson, who threw an inside pass to Alaimolo and he did well to outpace the cover defence on his way over the whitewash.

Marty McKenzie converted all three tries which meant the Chiefs had their tails up as the teams changed sides at the interval.

The Hurricanes put that poor start behind them, however, and showed more urgency on attack in the second-half and were soon rewarded with two tries which meant they were trailing by seven points by the hour-mark.

First, Ben Lam set off on a mazy run from close to the halfway mark before passing to Goosen, who dotted down in the 50th minute. And in the 60th minute, Thomson powered his way over the try-line after the Hurricanes forwards took the ball through six phases in the build-up.

Shortly afterwards, the Chiefs were reduced to 14 men when Fa’auli was sent off for a shoulder charge to Goosen’s face.

The Hurricanes made their numerical advantage count when May went over the try-line from close quarters in the 67th minute although Jordie Barrett’s conversion attempt was off target which meant the Chiefs held a slender two-point lead.

Despite playing with 14 men, the Chiefs continued to attack and were rewarded when Karpik crossed for their fourth try after Weber set him up with a strong run before being stopped just short of the whitewash.

McKenzie added the extras which gave the hosts a nine-point buffer before Savea crossed for his try shortly before full-time.

The scorers:

For Chiefs:
Tries: Retallick, Weber, Alaimalo, Karpik
Cons: McKenzie 4
Red Card: Johnny Faauli

For Hurricanes:
Tries: Goosen, Thomson, May, Savea
Cons: J Barrett 2

Chiefs: 15 Solomon Alaimalo, 14 Toni Pulu, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Johnny Faauli, 11 Shaun Stevenson, 10 Marty McKenzie, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Jesse Parete, 7 Mitchell Karpik, 6 Lachlan Boshier, 5 Michael Allardice, 4 Brodie Retallick (c), 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Liam Polwart, 1 Sam Prattley
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18 Jeff Thwaites, 19 Luke Jacobson, 20 Liam Messam, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Tiaan Falcon, 23 Alex Nankivell

Hurricanes: 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Wes Goosen, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Blade Thomson, 7 Sam Henwood, 6 Brad Shields (c), 5 Sam Lousi, 4 Michael Fatialofa, 3 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Toby Smith
Replacements: 16 James O’Reilly, 17 Chris Eves, 18 Ben May, 19 Gareth Evans, 20 Reed Prinsep, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Ihaia West, 23 Julian Savea

Referee: Mike Fraser
Assistant Referees: Richard Kelly, James Doleman
TMO: Ben Skeen

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Ulster have been linked with Brumbies wing Henry Speight, whom they are reportedly keen to lure to the province on a short-term deal until January.

Ulster did the same thing with Brumbies fly-half Christian Lealiifano last season, who departed in January after a six-month stint at the club. And now the Canberra outfit are reportedly considering allowing Speight to do the same, according to Australia’s Daily Telegraph.

The 30-year-old has recently fallen out of favour at international level, being overlooked for the recent June series against Ireland, with Dane Haylett-Petty and Marika Koroibete the preferred combination.

Ulster confirmed the acquisition of Irish-qualified fly-half Billy Burns earlier in the week as interim head coach Simon Easterby looks to strengthen the squad ahead of new head coach Dan McFarland’s arrival.

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Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd slammed Chiefs centre Johnny Faauli’s no-arms hit on Wes Goosen in their Super Rugby clash in Hamilton on Friday.

Boyd was fuming after the match, which the Chiefs won 28-24, as Faauli’s challenge to Goosen’s head could result in the Hurricanes utility back missing next weekend’s quarter-final between the teams in Wellington.

“He’s failed two HIAs so he’s probably somewhere less than 50-50 for next week, which is disappointing for him,” Boyd told Stuff.

“Probably don’t need to say more about that.”

But, when asked to elaborate, Boyd did not hold back and described the foul as “a deliberate act”.

“I mean, I don’t like to see a red card in any game, but red is red, and you don’t get a more obvious red card than that,” he added.

“That was shoulder, no arms, straight to the head, with force, with intent. There’s no butting out of any of that.

“So that was a deliberate act. The Chiefs will be disappointed with that action, I’m assuming the player will be disappointed with that action. And at the end of the day, he got, in the end, what was necessary.”

Chiefs boss Colin Cooper also expressed his disappointment with the incident.

“It’s disappointing,” he said.

“He’s (Fa’auli) better than that. He looks to stamp his mark defensively, but he’s got to do it within the rules, he just can’t drift up, particularly towards the head.”

Faauli has been punished in the past for some illegal hits but has worked on improving his tackle technique and Cooper feels the 22-year-old had improved on it it until his latest indiscretion.

“That’s the first one he let go (for some time),” added Cooper.

“If you go back to the Reds, he did that to their big power number eight. When he gets it right he can do some damage. And I thought he contained their 12 (Ngani Laumape), we moved him in to help defend that area, and I felt where they exposed the Blues they didn’t get through there. So he has to take a lot credit for that, and Anton (Lienert-Brown).”

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Lions back-row Kwagga Smith will leave the Johannesburg-based franchise on a temporary basis after joining Japanese club Yamaha Jubilo.

The 25-year-old, who made his Test debut for the Springboks against Wales last month, signed a short-term contract with the Top League outfit which means he will not be part of the Golden Lions’ Currie Cup campaign later this year.

Smith confirmed the news on Yamaha Jubilo’s official website on Friday.

“I am honoured to be joining the Yamaha family as the next step of my rugby career and am convinced that playing for a team like Yamaha will help me to grow as a player,” he said.

“I have visited Japan, it is a very beautiful country and I am very impressed with the culture. My wife is looking forward to living in Japan.

“I will try my best to make a big contribution to the team and to win the Top League.”

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The Reds have finished the season with back-to-back wins for the first time since Round Five as they overcame the Sunwolves 48-27 in Brisbane.

It is the second successive week the Sunwolves have had to play the majority of the match with 14 men as this time Ed Quirk was given an early bath for his alleged punch of Hamish Stewart on the ground.

This was the deciding factor in the end, as the Reds ran away with it by seven tries to three.

After the Reds won a penalty advantage at an attacking scrum, they got over the advantage line with a series of powerful pick and drives from their forwards before openside flanker Liam Wright crashed over from close range for the first try of the match. Jono Lance added the extras.

The Sunwolves fought back and were rewarded with a two three-pointers for their dominance when the Reds were initially penalised for offside by referee Ben O’Keefe and then pinged at the breakdown with one point separating the sides after 15 minutes.

But the Reds wrested back momentum of the game and after impressive ball retention and patience shown by the home side in which they took possession through 20 phases, Eto Nabuli sauntered through a gap he was put in to by Stewart. Lance converted for a 14-6 lead with 22 minutes gone.

However, five minutes later, the momentum swung back in favour of the Sunwolves when they took the ball through 12 phases before Duncan Paia’aua was yellow-carded for a deliberate knockdown as the last man – conceding a penalty try in the process.

But Lance hit back for the home side, creating something out of nothing when he broke Wimpie van der Walt’s tackle in midfield and ran the 35 metres to the try-line for a 22-13 lead five out from half-time. To add insult to injury, openside flanker Quirk was red-carded for what was deemed a closed fist to the face of Stewart on the ground – a massive moment in the game – as the Sunwolves were permanently reduced to 14 men.

There was still enough time before the break for Taniela Tupou to muscle his way between Willie Britz and Michael Leitch from close range to reach over with a slick one-handed finish. Lance converted as the hosts took a 29-13 lead into the interval.

The Reds were reduced to 14 men shortly after the interval when Caleb Timu smashed into Parker on the floor. But the Sunwolves were unable to capitalise. Instead, having soaked up the pressure, it was the Reds who went up the other end to score when Paiau’aua ripped the ball away from Leitch in the tackle before sprinting 40 metres and getting the offload away superbly for Nabuli to grab his brace.

The Sunwolves were beginning to play with fire trying to run the ball out from the back and going wide at every opportunity. They were duly punished when Kazuki Himeon’s forward pass gifted the Reds an attacking scrum in an excellent position. From the set-piece, the ball was swung left out to the blindside where Timu showed sleight of hand to release Paia’aua in the corner, who didn’t need the man outside him.

Moses Sorovi got the Reds’ seventh when he dummied and went on his own from the ruck, completely fooling the defence and dotting down despite the best efforts of Yoshikazu Fujita to stop him.

However, the visitors did not stop trying and came away with two further tries to make the scoreline a whole lot more respectable. First, centre Ryoto Nakamura went over in the 72nd minute before hooker Jaba Bregvadze brought the crowd to its feet when he went on a barnstorming run over the whitewash as the Sunwolves fell to a 48-27 defeat in the end.

The scorers:

For Reds:
Tries: Wright, Nabuli 2, Lance, Tupou, Paia’aua, Sorovi
Cons: Lance 5
Pen: Lance
Yellow Cards: Paia’aua, Timu

For Sunwolves:
Tries: Nakamura, Bregvadze, Penalty Try
Cons: Parker 2
Pens: Parker 2
Red Card: Quirk

Reds: 15 Jono Lance, 14 Filipo Daugunu, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Duncan Paia’aua, 11 Eto Nabuli, 10 Hamish Stewart, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Scott Higginbotham (c), 7 Liam Wright, 6 Caleb Timu, 5 Lukhan Tui, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 JP Smith
Replacements: 16 Alex Mafi, 17 Harry Hoopert, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Angus Blyth, 20 Angus Scott-Young, 21 Adam Korczyk, 22 Moses Sorovi, 23 Teti Tela

Sunwolves: 15 Jason Emery, 14 Yoshikazu Fujita, 13 Michael Little, 12 Harumichi Tatekawa, 11 Akihito Yamada, 10 Hayden Parker, 9 Yutaka Nagare (c), 8 Willie Britz, 7 Edward Quirk, 6 Michael Leitch, 5 Wimpie van der Walt, 4 James Moore, 3 Takuma Asahara, 2 Yusuke Niwai, 1 Craig Millar
Replacements: 16 Jaba Bregvadze, 17 Keita Inagaki, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 Kazuki Himeno, 20 Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Rikiya Matsuda, 23 Ryoto Nakamura

Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Referees: Damon Murphy, Jordan Way
TMO: Damien Mitchelmore

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The Sharks progressed to the Super Rugby play-offs at the expense of the Rebels as they saw off the Jaguares 20-10 at Kings Park on Saturday.

They will now face the table-topping Crusaders in Christchurch next week thanks to crossings from Akker van der Merwe and Kobus van Wyk.

The Jaguares, who travel to the Lions in their qualifier, scored through Sebastian Cancelliere, with Joaquín Díaz Bonilla kicking five points.

Entertainment was lacking in the opening half in Durban as the wet weather did not help the match as a spectacle. Throw in the Sharks only needing four points and the Jaguares being largely second string and it had all the ingredients of being a sluggish and fragmented contest.

The Sharks went 3-0 up on nine minutes when a huge scrum gave Robert du Preez the chance to strike. He made it 6-0 seven minutes later.

But the hosts were reduced to 14 men on 19 minutes when number eight Dan du Preez was yellow carded for a low, no-arm tackle. Diaz Bonilla made no mistake from in front as the Jaguares cut the lead in half. There was maybe a temptation that they should have chanced their arm.

And being conservative did come back to haunt them two minutes later as Sharks hooker Van der Merwe raced over from close to 40 metres out after popping out of a maul, showing good pace. Fly-half Du Preez added the extras to make it 13-3 which was how it remained going into the interval, after the Jaguares went agonisingly close to reducing the margin when Matias Moroni grounded the ball dead after a chase through.

The Sharks came out for the second-half looking to apply the squeeze and that they did but for no reward. After a series of shots at goal being snubbed Du Preez’s effort from out wide after a strong scrum struck the upright. The hosts, however, did seem likely to strike soon.

That they did on 53 minutes when, from a lovely set-piece move that started on halfway, Andre Esterhuizen put Van Wyk through and he raced over on the right wing for a superb finish. This time Du Preez made no mistake from the kicking tee as the Sharks held a 20-3 advantage.

The Jaguares did not roll over however and finally crossed on 66 minutes when a backline move on halfway led to the ball being kicked back inside for the chasing Cancelliere to gather and ground. Diaz Bonilla added the conversion to make it 20-10 and cause the Sharks to sweat.

They need not have worried though as 20-10 was how the game finished as the Sharks now pack their packs and head to Christchurch next week, consequently ending the Rebels’ season.

The scorers:

For Sharks:
Tries: Van der Merwe, Van Wyk
Cons: R du Preez 2
Pens: R du Preez 2
Yellow Card: D du Preez

For Jaguares:
Try: Cancelliere
Con: Diaz Bonilla
Pen: Diaz Bonilla

Sharks: 15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Ruan Botha (c), 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Wian Vosloo, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Makazole Mapimpi

Jaguares: 15 Ramiro Moyano, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Sebastian Cancelliere, 10 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Javier Diaz
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Santiago Garcia Botta, 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Javier Ortega Desio, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Nicolas Sanchez, 23 Emiliano Boffelli

Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Assistant Referees: Egon Seconds, Archie Sehlako
TMO: Willie Vos

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Watch the highlights from the final regular-season round of Super Rugby.

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Chiefs centre Johnny Faauli has been banned for six weeks for his dangerous tackle on Wes Goosen during their 28-24 victory over the Hurricanes.

The back was red carded and deemed to contravene Law 9.13 having connected with Goosen’s head after failing to wrap his arms around the ‘Canes man.

Faauli will therefore miss the game against the Hurricanes in the quarter-finals, as well as the rest of the Super Rugby season, should they emerge triumphant in Wellington.

In his finding, Nigel Hampton QC ruled the following: “Having conducted a detailed review of all the available evidence, including all camera angles, additional evidence, a statement from the player and submissions from his legal representative, Aaron Lloyd, the Foul Play Review Committee upheld the Red Card under Law 9.13.

“With respect to sanction the Foul Play Review Committee deemed the act of foul play merited a mid range entry point of 6 weeks.

“The Foul Play Review Committee added 2 weeks to the entry point as aggravation for the fact the Player has two previous offences of a similar nature on his Judicial record and as a personal deterrent to combat a pattern of such offending by the Player.

“However, taking into account mitigating factors including the Player’s expressed remorse and his plea of guilty at the earliest possible opportunity, the Foul Play Review Committee reduced the suspension to 6 weeks.”

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