'Tahs duo's appeals dismissed

Cape Town - A SANZAR appeals committee, chaired by Lex Mpati (South Africa) and comprising Adam Casselden (Australia) and Chris Morris (New Zealand) has unanimously dismissed an appeal brought by the Waratahs against the sanction imposed from a judicial hearing that found Silatolu Latu had contravened Law 10.4 (j) - Lifting Tackle.

The committee dismissed the appeal on the basis that Latu was unable to persuade its opinion that the sanction was manifestly excessive.

Latu's ground of appeal was that the four-week sanction imposed was not fair in all the circumstances.

The committee was not persuaded by the submissions of counsel for Latu, Bruce Hodgkinson SC, who referred to other decisions for purposes of comparison.

Counsel argued that the addition of two weeks to the low-end entry point of four weeks, applied by the judicial officer as a deterrent, was not consistent with the approach adopted in some of those decisions.

At the same hearing, Waratahs loose forward Will Skelton's appeal against his four-week ban was also dismissed.

The committee determined that the initial four-week sanction was appropriate.

As such, both players remains suspended from all forms of the game for four weeks up to and including June 20.

No order was made for costs.