Jean Deysel receives his Red Card against the Crusaders for stamping
A SANZAR Judicial Hearing has accepted a guilty plea from Jean Deysel of the Sharks for contravening Law 10.4 (b) Stamping or trampling after he was issued a red card during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
Deysel has been suspended for three weeks up to and including Saturday 7 June 2014.
The incident occurred during the match between the Crusaders and Sharks at AMI Stadium, Addington in Christchurch on Saturday 17 May 2014. The referee for the match, Rohan Hoffman, issued a red card for the incident which occurred in the 16th minute.
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The SANZAR Judicial Hearing held via video conference on Tuesday May 20 2014 at 9pm NZST, 7pm AEST, 11am SAST was heard by Jannie Lubbe SC who was assisted by former professional player, John Langford.
In his finding, Advocate Lubbe ruled the following:
Jean Deysel of the Sharks tackled Jordan Taufua of the Crusaders near the Sharks’ goal line after Taufua illegally held on to the foot of Deysel, preventing him from joining the line of defense.
In order to free himself, Deysel stamped with his boot on Taufua and made contact with the neck/head area of the player. Taufua sustained a minor injury to his mouth but was able to complete the match and subsequently provided helpful testimony that supported the medical evidence.
The entry level of the offence was categorised as mid-level which carries a five week suspension after applying section 9.5 of Appendix 1 of the SANZAR Disciplinary Rules; mainly because of the use of a boot in the head/face area of a player in a vulnerable position on the ground.
Stamping is a serious offence. It is an offence that cannot be tolerated in the game because not only is it totally against the spirit of the game, but it carries an inherent potential danger of serious injury to players, especially when contact is made in the head/face area.
The period of suspension was reduced to three weeks as a result of compelling mitigating factors which consisted of the following:
The player apologised to his opponent after the match who accepted the apology. Deysel is a senior player with an exceptionally good record over a long career who acts as a leader and performs a mentoring role in the team. He pleaded guilty and showed genuine remorse for his actions.
Having considered the player’s upcoming schedule of matches as required by IRB Regulation 17, I am satisfied that the player was scheduled to play in the KZN Club Rugby competition during the June break for Super Rugby. This means Deysel will miss the Sharks’ two upcoming fixtures, along with a match for his club side on 6 June.
Accordingly, the player is suspended from all forms of rugby up to and including Saturday 7 June 2014.
Hearing Details: Tuesday May 20 2014 at 21:00 NZ Time, 19:00 AEST, 11:00 SA Time
Judicial Hearing Chairman: Jannie Lubbe SC
Player: Jean Deysel
Team: Sharks
Position: Flanker
Date of Incident: 17 May 2014
Nature of Offence: Law 10.4 (b) Stamping or trampling. A player must not stamp or trample an opponent.
Elapsed time in match when offence occurred: 16th minute