Wallaby captain George Gregan will miss the ACT Brumbies’ final Super 14 round-robin match after being suspended on Monday for a dangerous tackle.
Gregan was suspended following a hearing by a three-man Sanzar panel for his tackle on Otago Highlanders winger Richard Kahui in Saturday’s 28-26 Brumbies’ loss at Canberra Stadium.
Gregan was cited despite having been sinbinned by referee Marius Jonker for the tackle in which Kahui was upended and landed heavily on his shoulder and neck.
The ban means Gregan will miss the fourth-place Brumbies’ final match against the Super 14-leading Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday.
But he would be available for the semifinals the following weekend if ACT makes the final four. The Brumbies need just one point from the match to clinch a playoff spot.
Gregan’s representative Tony Dempsey said the judiciary panel had cited Gregan’s good record in his 122-match Super rugby career.
”They certainly emphasised that his exemplary record had a lot to do with the length of his sentence,” said Dempsey, the chief executive of the players’ association.
He indicated Gregan was satisfied with the outcome.
”I think at the end of the day George accepts that it was a fair hearing and a reasonable hearing in the context of all the circumstances,” Dempsey said. – Sapa-AP