Matt Henjak is free to play in Western Force’s opening Super 14 rugby clash this weekend after a hearing into his alleged altercation with teammate Haig Sare was adjourned until next week.
After scathing criticism from the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) over the club’s handling of the incident, Force bosses fast-tracked a serious misconduct tribunal to Thursday.
But both Henjak and Sare asked for the hearing to be delayed to allow their lawyers to go through the case, reports Rugby Heaven website.
”Each of the players involved had requested an adjournment of the hearing to enable them to consider the evidence and, if necessary arrange representation,” Rugby WA said in a statement.
”The tribunal considered this a reasonable request and the hearing has been adjourned until Tuesday February 19.”
Having initially said the process could take up to two weeks, the Force reacted promptly to the ARU’s angry reaction at Henjak being allowed to tour South Africa and its demand the hearing be fast-tracked.
Sare gave his account in Perth of Sunday’s bar session and the altercation with Henjak, which left him needing surgery to insert a plate in his broken jaw and ruled him out of the first six weeks of the season.
ARU chief executive John O’Neill was furious that Henjak — a key member of the Force team with a history of off-field indiscretions — was allowed to set off on the three-match trip to South Africa, believing he should have been stood down while such a serious matter was investigated. — Sapa