Suspension
DHL Stormers loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff has been suspended and will miss the Vodacom Super Rugby clash with the Crusaders at Newlands on Saturday.
Hurricanes openside flanker Ardie Savea has been suspended for four weeks following a judicial hearing but he will be out of Super Rugby until the end of March.
South Africa’s star flank, Bath-based openside Francois Louw, has been cleared on a punching charge by a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing.
New Zealand hooker Andrew Hore apologised on Thursday for a hit from behind on Wales lock Bradley Davies that resulted in a five-match ban, saying he had let down his team and the entire country.
This week there was two important citings for Southern Hemisphere teams who still have to play this coming weekend, that of Andrew Hore the New Zealand hooker and the other one that of Sitaleki Timani the Australian lock.
Both were found guilty and Andrew Hore received an effective 5-week suspension whereas Sitaleki Timani received a 1-week suspension.
Australian lock Rob Simmons had his ban for a dangerous tip-tackle during the Wallabies defeat by France this month cut from eight weeks to five weeks, following an International Rugby Board appeal hearing in Bristol, south-west England.
The ARU will appeal Wallabies lock Rob Simmons’s eight-week suspension for a lifting tackle on French forward Yannick Nyanga in Paris two weeks ago.
Argentina tighthead Juan Figallo has been suspended for three weeks for head-butting France captain Pascal Pape.
John Mitchell has been ‘requested’ to report for duty at the Golden Lions Rugby Union headquarters in Johannesburg on Friday.
Suspended Golden Lions Rugby Union coach John Mitchell’s employment saga has taken a new twist as he says he does not want to join Sale Sharks but wants to stay in South Africa.
Controversial Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper has been fined a total of $60,000 for his critical comments about the Australian squad.
Gloucester looseforward Andy Hazell was suspended for 14 weeks as sanction following a Disciplinary Hearing in Dublin after being Red Carded and Cited in the Amlin Challenge Cup Pool 1, Round 1 match against Mont-de-Marsan at Stade Guy Boniface on Thursday 11 October.
In one of the more brutal and serious incidents in recent years, Andy Hazell was given a Red Card for an incident in the 55th minute of the match for striking (or rather for bating up) Mont-de-Marsan replacement, Sebastien Ormaechea.
Vodacom Blue Bulls player Mornè Steyn has been suspended for one week of rugby after being found guilty by a SARU Judicial Officer on Tuesday.
Wallabies forward Scott Higginbotham has been slapped with a two match ban for his attack on All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.
Western Province loose forwards Jebb Sinclair and Tyrone Holmes have almost completely escaped further punishment for the punches they threw at Kings Park on Saturday.
Here’s a review of the Judicial hearings and citings following a weekend of ill-diciplined rugby in South Africa.
As we all know by now, in a water logged match in the ABSA Currie Cup between The Sharks and DHL Western Province, four players were carded in Durban, Sharks losse forward Jean Deysel received a Yellow Card, Jebb Sinclair and Tyrone Holmes from Province both received Red Cards for punching, whilst Wilhelm van der Sluys from Province received a Yellow Card.
From about 5 minutes before the end of the match, Western Province was forced to play with only 12 players on the pitch, effectively resulting in an eventual Penalty Try to the Sharks just before the end of the game.
Springbok prop Dean Greyling has been suspended from all forms of Rugby for two weeks after he pleaded guilty for foul play.
SANZAR have given Chiefs prop Ben Tameifuna a one week suspension for a dangerous tackle after he pleaded guilty to the offence.
The Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) have advised that they will not appeal the SANZAR judicial ruling to suspend Queensland Reds flyhalf Quade Cooper on a dangerous tackle charge to avoid further disruption to its team’s title defence which continues in two days time.
In news just in the Reds flyhalf has been suspended after receiving a white and yellow card on Saturday.
The SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Mike Heron has accepted a guilty plea from Luke Jones of the Rebels for contravening Law 10.4 (j) Lifting a Player from the ground and either dropping or driving that Player’s head and/or upper body into the ground whilst the Player’s feet are off the ground, after he was Cited during a Super Rugby Match at the Weekend. Jones lifted Bulls player Bjorn Basson in a tackle that resulted in Basson’s neck and shoulder region contacting the ground while his legs were still in the air. Jones received aYellow Card on the field and the incident was referred to the Citing Commissioner through a White Card.
The SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Mike Heron has accepted a guilty plea from Butch James of the Lions for contravening Law 10.4 (h) A player must not charge into a ruck or maul. Charging includes any contact made without use of the arms, or without grasping that player, after he was Cited during a Super Rugby Match at the Weekend. James charged into a ruck near the Brumbies Goal Line and made contact with Brumbies player Scott Fardy after a penalty had been blown to the Lions.
Waratahs midfielder Rob Horne has been suspended for two weeks but Reds’ backs Digby Ioane and Quade Cooper will not face action from SANZAR over their comments on how long Horne should be suspended.
Melbourne Rebels wing Cooper Vuna has been banned for two weeks, after being found guilty of a spear tackle in his side’s 12-43 Super Rugby loss to the Highlanders.
England hooker Dylan Hartley has been banned for eight weeks after being found guilty of biting Ireland flank Stephen Ferris in their Six Nations showdown at Twickenham.
Last night the ruling in the Calum Clark hearing made, with the Northampton Saints loose forward being suspended from the game for 32 weeks. He will only play again in November.
Blues flanker Luke Braid has been suspended for three weeks of Super Rugby after he pleaded guilty to striking a Stormers play in his team’s 27-17 loss.
Queensland winger Digby Ioane has been suspended for five weeks (four matches) for a tip tackle on Sharks flanker Marcell Coetzee.
Blues winger Rene Ranger has been suspended for two weeks for his late tackle on Bjorn Basson during the Blues 23-29 victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
Melbourne Rebels lock Adam Byrnes has been slapped with a 10 week ban from playing Super Rugby after he was found guilty of eye gouging.
Bulls scrum half, Francois Hougaard, has been suspended from all rugby for one week after receiving a RED CARD in the game against the Cheetahs for a tip-tackle on Robert Ebersohn.
Cheetahs centre Andries Strauss has been cited and suspended for 2 weeks for foul play in the Super Rugby match between the Lions and the Cheetahs in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Sharks coach John Plumtree has been forced to make changes to his team to face the Southern Kings this Friday evening at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
Saracens hooker Schalk Brits has been given a three week suspension for a dangerous tackle on a Treviso winger in the Heineken Cup.
The Crusaders have moved their remaining “home” Super Rugby matches to Napier, Wellington, Timaru and back to Nelson.
AMI Stadium has been ruled out for the rest of the year so the Crusaders had to move their matches to other grounds.