Brumbies hooker punished for Loftus red card

Cape Town - Brumbies hooker Folau Fainga'a been banned for one week after receiving a red card in his side’s 38-28 win over the Bulls in Pretoria at the weekend.

SANZAAR’s foul play review committee has accepted a guilty plea from Fainga'a for contravening Law 9.12: Striking with head.

Fainga'a has been suspended from all forms of the game for one week, up to and including June 3, 2018.

This mean he will miss the Brumbies’ match against the Sunwolves in Canberra on Sunday.

The SANZAAR foul play review committee of Nigel Hampton QC (chairperson), Stefan Terblanche and John Langford assessed the case.

In his finding, Hampton ruled the following:

"Having conducted a detailed review of all the available evidence, including all camera angles and additional evidence, including from the player and submissions on his behalf, the foul play review committee upheld the red card under Law 9.12.
 
"With respect to sanction the foul play review committee deemed the act of foul play merited a low end entry point of four weeks, given some degree of provocation before the incident and the relative lack of force in the contact between the two players.
 
"Taking into account mitigating factors including the player's excellent judicial record, his youth and inexperience and his pleading guilty at the first available opportunity, the foul play review committee reduced the suspension to two weeks. In addition, given the player's good character and the fact that, in the committee's view, two weeks was a wholly disproportionate sanction for an offence that only related to comparatively minor contact, the sanction was further reduced by an extra week.

"The player is therefore suspended for one week, up to and including June 3, 2018.”

All SANZAAR disciplinary matters are in the first instance referred to the foul play review committee 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 foul play review committee.