by Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea is facing a possible suspension after he commented on his slitting gesture towards Melbourne Rebels’ Ryan Louwrens during Friday’s Super Rugby Pacific game.
Savea will face a SANZAAR Foul Play Review Committee on Monday after being subpoenaed for allegedly violating Law 9.27.
The spirit of good sportsmanship
The All Blacks’ easy forward made the gesture and appeared to threaten him after being booked in the closing stages of the first half. This comes after a heated exchange erupted during the Hurricanes’ 39-33 win.
SANZAAR, the governing body of Super Rugby Pacific, confirmed Savea’s quote with the following statement: “The Hurricanes’ Ardie Savea has been summoned for alleged foul play during a Super Rugby Pacific game over the weekend.
Savea is said to have broken Law 9.27: A player must not do anything contrary to good sportsmanship during the game between the Rebels and the Hurricanes at Melbourne’s AAMI Park on March 3, 2023.
Upon further review of the match footage, the Citing Commissioner was of the opinion that, in his opinion, the incident had reached the red-card threshold for foul play.
The case will be reviewed in the first instance by the SANZAAR Foul Play Review Committee, which will be held via videoconference on Monday, March 6, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. (AEDT), 8:00 p.m. (NZDT).”
Savea could face a two-week ban depending on the entry point decided by the committee.
The low-end entry point is four weeks, but Savea could have any sanction halved. If it’s a mid-level entry point, then with an 8-week entry point, it could spend a month or two on the sidelines.
Savea apologizes
During his post-match interview, Savea apologized for his action and admitted it was out of character.
“I can understand that the fans are angry at my gesture,” he told Sky Sport.
“It’s just a heat of the moment. It’s fussy. children watch us; We are in the heat of battle. It’s usually out of character for me, so I’ll start by raising my hand and apologizing for it.
“I’m just happy about the win. The rebels brought it tonight. credit to her. They were physical with their forward pack so something for us to look in the mirror [at].”
Meanwhile, Hurricane Tevita Mafileo will also face the SANZAAR Foul Play Review Committee. He was red carded for foul play and is said to have broken Rule 9.20: Dangerous Play in a Ruck or Maul.
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The article Ardie Savea: All Blacks star cited for throat-slitting gesture against Melbourne Rebels appeared first on Planetrugby.com.
