All Blacks prop faces foul play hearing

Christchurch - All Blacks prop Joe Moody faces a disciplinary hearing on Sunday after an apparent elbow to the throat of Kurtley Beale during the Super Rugby clash between the Crusaders and Waratahs.

The incident occurred just before the burly prop scored the Crusaders opening try in their come-from-behind 31-29 victory in Christchurch on Saturday.

Moody was not penalised at the time but the competition's governing body SANZAAR said in a statement on Sunday that in a review of the match footage, the Citing Commissioner deemed the incident "met the Red Card threshold for foul play."

Moody is to appear before SANZAAR's foul play review committee on Sunday evening.

The hearing comes four weeks before the All Blacks first Test of the year against France.

Reds captain Scott Higginbotham received a three-week suspension for a similar incident earlier in the season in a match against the Melbourne Rebels.