Cape Town - Sharks prop Jannie du Plessis has been issued with an off-field yellow card for contravening Law 10.4 (a) (Punching or striking an opponent) during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.

The incident occurred in the 32nd minute of the match between the Hurricanes and Sharks in New Plymouth when Du Plessis struck Hurricanes flank Karl Lowe after some pushing and verbal exchanges at a previous ruck.

The strike caused a number of players to rush in and several skirmishes broke out on the field.

An off-field yellow card may be issued by the SANZAR Citing Commissioner for foul play incidents that are very close to, but in his opinion do not meet the red card threshold for citings.

In this case the referee for the match, Glen Jackson, acted upon the incident by issuing a white card for the entire incident and awarded a penalty against Du Plessis after discussion with his assistant referee. On further review of the match footage the citing commissioner deemed an off-field yellow card was appropriate.

The Hurricanes won the match 42-18.

Meanwhile, props Ben Daley (Reds) and Dan Palmer (Brumbies) were also issued with off-field yellow cards for the same offence as Du Plessis.

The incident occurred in the 49th minute of the match between the Reds and Brumbies in Brisbane when Daley and Palmer started exchanging punches at the side of a ruck. The Reds won 20-14.