Bulls consider Nel appeal

JJ Harmse

Bakkies Botha will be on the Bulls squad when they face the Crusaders on Saturday, but JP Nel will not.

Botha faced a disciplinary hearing at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Monday, where he was cleared of the accusation that he struck Sharks No 8 Ryan Kankowski during their match in Durban on Saturday. 

Nel, on the other hand, was suspended for four weeks due to a dangerous tackle on Sharks fullback Stefan Terblanche. The Bulls where shocked at this news, and are considering lodging an appeal against the suspension. Such an appeal must be lodged within 24 hours.

The official presiding over the disciplinary hearing, Dekker Govender, found that there was insufficient evidence that Botha had acted improperly. The lock was clearly relieved: “They found that I am innocent, and that there was some measure of intimidation against me.

”There is the feeling that the referee was in control of the situation and that he handled it correctly. Therefore, no further action is necessary,” Botha said on Monday night.