Auckland Blues centre Rua Tipoki was suspended for 16 weeks on Saturday after being found guilty of striking Western Force flyhalf James Hilgendorf in their Super 14 rugby match.
The punishment, handed down at a judicial committee hearing, is the heaviest ever imposed on a New Zealand player by a Sanzar (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia) panel.
Hilgendorf, the dangerman in the Force backline, was hit just six minutes into Friday night’s encounter won by the Blues, 39-8, and had to be helped off the field.
He suffered a fracture of the eye socket, a laceration over the left eyebrow and a concussion.
The Western Force team doctor indicated the injuries might possibly leave some degree of permanent impairment.
At a press conference following the hearing, Tipoki said the hit was a ”careless” action but not deliberate.
”I deeply regret the injury that James has suffered … I tried to contact him today to say sorry but I didn’t get the chance … but I’m definitely going to do that later on today,” he said.
”With regard to the incident, it was just another careless sloppy action by myself which has resulted in an injury to another player and a hefty suspension for myself, so all I can do is accept responsibility for my actions and what’s come about and just say that I never intended to injure James.”
Committee chairperson Bruce Squire said that after hearing evidence from Tipoki and viewing video footage of the incident, the committee was satisfied that Hilgendorf had been intentionally struck.
The committee considered the offence to be serious and judged that there was little to be said in Tipoki’s favour by way of mitigation. It also noted that he had two previous appearances before the judiciary for striking offences.
Hilgendorf said he had been told by doctors he will miss between four to six weeks and could be permanently scarred from the hit.
”I tried to open my eyes, but one of them just stayed shut. It swelled up very quickly, and I knew it was pretty serious,” Hilgendorf said.
”I have had a couple of [medical] opinions, and I will see a surgeon when I get back to Perth, but fingers crossed I won’t need an operation.
Tipoki, who scored three tries in the match, was cited by match commissioner David Gray.
The ban means his Super 14 season is over and he will not return to the playing field until well into New Zealand’s domestic provincial rugby season. – Sapa-AFP