Wednesday 24 June 2015 08:20, UK
Henry Speight has been banned for five weeks for dangerous play and will miss Australia’s Rugby Championship opener against South Africa and the Super Rugby semi-final.
The ACT Brumbies wing has been given the suspension for dangerous play following his red card for dropping Juan de Jongh head-first at a ruck in the Canberra side’s win over Stormers last weekend.
Speight will also sit out the Super Rugby semi-final against the Wellington Hurricanes this week after hopes he would avoid a ban were dashed by the ruling from governing body SANZAR.
"After taking all relevant facts into consideration, I found that the referee's decision to issue a red card was correct," the judicial officer said in his decision.
"The tackle caused De Jongh's feet to lift and his head to make contact with the ground first.
"It was not a legitimate clean-out at a ruck and the player was fortunate not to have been injured.
"An aggravating factor is the ongoing need for a deterrent for dangerous play such as this which carries with it the real risk of serious injury."
Brumbies prop Scott Sio said the team would undoubtedly miss the hulking Fiji-born winger.
"Especially with the calibre of player he is, he adds such a lot to the team, not just in attack but in his defensive awareness as well," he said.
"We lose a lot there, but the best thing about our squad is that we've got guys like Robbie Coleman, James Dargaville, Nigel Ah Wong, Lausii Taliauli, who all add something different if they are called upon to replace Henry."
