Cheetahs and South Africa hooker Adriaan Strauss has been banned for three weeks for a tip-tackle, ruling him out of the Wales series.
The Sanzar duty judicial officer Adam Casselden has accepted a guilty plea from Strauss for contravening Law 10.4 (j) Lifting Tackle, after he was cited during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
Strauss has been suspended from all forms of the game for three weeks up to and including 21 June 2014.
howzitmsnsport
The incident occurred in the 23rd minute of the match between the Stormers and Cheetahs at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.
“After initially reviewing the video footage and Citing Commissioner’s report, I heard submissions from the player’s representatives, including his counsel Mr Stephan Weyers, and obtained their views of the incident. I then proceeded by establishing that the player accepted a breach for the cited offence and then identified the various factors involved in the incident,” said Casselden
“I considered the incident had an entry point in the low end range which starts at a four-week suspension for lifting tackles. I then added two weeks as a deterrent to send a further message that this type of tackle cannot be tolerated in the game due to the risk it poses to players.”
“I also considered the player’s upcoming schedule of games as required under the IRB regulations. The Cheetahs have a bye according to this week’s Super Rugby schedule and I have not seen any evidence that satisfies me that the player was scheduled to play rugby. This is followed by four South African Test matches scheduled to occur in the June international window.”
“The player has consistently been a part of the Springbok match-day squad in recent seasons with 12 Tests to his name in 2013 as either the starting or reserve hooker and is named in the squad named for the June window.”
“For this reason I consider the upcoming matches for South Africa against the World XV, Wales and Scotland as part of his upcoming schedule.”
“Factors considered in mitigation included the player’s excellent record extending over 33 Test matches for South Africa and over 100 Super Rugby matches, his good character and the player’s early admission of guilt for the tackle and remorse shown for the incident, I reduced the six-week suspension to three weeks.”
“Accordingly, the player is suspended from all forms of rugby up to and including Saturday 21 June 2014 which incorporates his next three scheduled matches.”
In place of Adriaan Strauss, Callie Visagie, the Vodacom Bulls hooker, has been called up to the Springbok Training Group.
Could this mean a belated call up for Craig Burden who started for Toulon in the Heineken Cup final, or even Schalk Brits?
Bullscot wrote:
Schalk will probably be first choice, but he is down to play against the Boks for the World XV
Otherwise Mallet must very quickly get a new hooker lined up
Bietjie belaglik hierdie skorsing as mens in ag neem dat deksel drie weke gekry het vir ‘n baie ernstiger misdaad
smallies wrote:
Ek reken jy kan seerder kry as jy op jou kop val en jou nek breek versus ‘n trappie op die wang
@ Snoek:
Juis straks het die man op sy rug laat val, deksel on daai man se oog uit getrap het baie meer malicious as daai tackle gewees
@ nortierd:
I see it’s Callie Visagie who has been called up for the camp, makes sense to get someone locally for that as the overseas players not available for that and then beyond as you say Brits is due to play against the Boks, maybe if he has a super game there he can be draughted in for the games against Wales then the game against Scotland is outside the international window so he may not be available. Is Visagie the best hooker locally to replace Strauss? Not seen enough myself to make an informed judgement.
Bullscot wrote:
Never had him in mind for higher honors.
Maku would at least made demographic sense. Something we will have to live with?
superBul wrote:
I like it 🙂
And I thought that ‘sense’ and ‘demographic’ are mutually excluded?
😉
@ Hondo:
Yes Hondo i agree. We all wish that pure merit or a free hand be given to the coach, not tying his one arm behind his back. The fact is a Great team does not really exist out off all the best players but rather the best combination off players.
Players must be compatible with each other and the team strategy.
Thats were both politicians and coaches must be flexible.
If SA can somehow become No 1 again obviously the arms will be strengthened and more money will flow our way. THAT can be used to persuade the powers to join hands and build even harder at grass roots than ever before. I think the disappearing of players after college is the biggest concern.
END of my crow
Let me go and WORK
superBul wrote:
See no reason why it won’t happened soon?
The Aussies rugby union is fast losing the support and the affinity it had with its traditional power base which is the Public School and Universities graduates, it’s a ‘demographic’ issue tongue in check 😉
The ABs will face a encroached land after McCaw and Carter’s departure, soon enough there will be little to choose from the ABs, Samoa or Fiji
Here rugby is the king at all levels, boosted by the lack of drug testing or anything resembled it, we will regain dominance soon!
Mark my words
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