Share

Force scrumhalf cops three week ban

Share your Subscriber Article
You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend!
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
loading...
Loading, please wait...
 Ian Prior of the Force receives a red card during the round 11 Super Rugby match between the Chiefs and the Force at Waikato Stadium on April 24. (Getty)
Ian Prior of the Force receives a red card during the round 11 Super Rugby match between the Chiefs and the Force at Waikato Stadium on April 24. (Getty)

Cape Town - Force scrumhalf Ian Prior has been banned for three weeks after pleading guilty to a dangerous 'lift tackle' against the Chiefs.

The SANZAR duty judicial officer Nigel Hampton QC accepted a guilty plea from Prior for contravening Law 10.4 (j) Lifting Tackle, the incident occured in the 28th minute of the match.

Prior has been suspended from all forms of the game for three weeks up to and including Sunday 17 May 2015.

In his finding, Hampton ruled the following: 

“I viewed a number of angles of the incident which clearly showed the actions and reactions of the two players involved in the tackle, Ian Prior, the tackler and Tim Nanai-Williams, the tackled Chiefs' player, were able to be seen.  

"It was submitted that this was a tackle similar to a previous case in 2015 of Reds players Liam Gill in March which I did not accept. The Gill tackle was an unusual and uncommon manoeuvre whereas this tackle fell into the relatively commonplace for lifting tackles. 

"The tackled player was fortunately not injured through a combination of good fortune and his own attempts to break his descent. I found the incident to be at the lower end entry level for sanctioning purposes which has an entry point of four weeks.

"Prior had positioned himself for a high impact collision with Nanai-Williams who, momentarily before impact, had lost the ball, slowed himself down and brought himself into a more upright position, which altered the situation. Prior had shut his eyes as he went into the tackle and was unprepared for such an altered situation.

"This meant the tackle effected was completely different to what the player had anticipated in terms of the changed momentum and stance of the tackled player. Realising that he had "lost control of the tackle", Prior tried to release the tackled player who went to ground at a dangerous angle with some force.

"An aggravating factor to be taken into account is the need for a deterrent for these tackles. Lifting tackles have been sought to be eliminated from the game and yet still remain. I added a week to the suspension as a deterrent. Mitigating factors that I took into account include the player's good record, his shame at letting his teammates down during the match and his early acceptance of guilt and genuine contrition for his actions. As a result of these factors, I reduced the suspension to three weeks which was accepted by the player.

"The Force have two matches followed by a bye in Round 14. I was told the player, who has had little match time during Super Rugby this year as a result of playing off the bench, was expected to play a club game for his club, Nedlands during the bye to continue developing his match fitness. I sought direct evidence from the Force coach, Michael Foley who provided details of Force players being released in previous bye weekends to play in the Perth Premier Grade Competition when available. I was satisfied that this match was meaningful and should be included in his suspension.  

"Therefore, the player is suspended from all forms of rugby up to and including 17 May 2015."

All SANZAR disciplinary matters are in the first instance referred to a Duty Judicial Officer hearing to provide the option of expediting the judicial process.

For a matter to be dispensed with at this hearing, the person appearing must plead guilty and accept the penalty offered by the DJO.

Read this for free
South Africans need to be in the know if we want to create a prosperous future. News24 has kept the country informed for 25 years, and we're about to enter a new chapter of fearless journalism. Join our free subscription trial to unlock this story and a world of news aimed to inform, empower, and inspire.
Try our free 14-day trial
Already a subscriber? Sign in
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1200 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
30% - 1399 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2125 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE