Australia winger Lote Tuqiri will miss five matches after being found guilty of a dangerous tackle in Saturday’s 34-27 loss to the All Blacks in Auckland.
Tuqiri remained behind in New Zealand as his team mates returned home on Sunday to face the SANZAR Judicial Committee after being cited for a sickening tackle on All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw.
The spear tackle left McCaw visibly shaken and clutching his neck early in the second half, infuriating New Zealand coach Graham Henry who accused the Wallabies of targeting the openside flanker.
Wallabies coach John Connolly will be infuriated by the suspension, telling reporters after the match he thought there was little in the tackle.
"I thought Richie stood up and momentum took its course as he tried to spin in the tackle," he said.
"I’d be very disappointed [if Tuqiri is suspended]."
Tuqiri was suspended until November 2, ruling him out of the final Tri-Nations Test in South Africa, as well as three provincial matches for New South Wales and a Spring Tour warm-up match in Wales.
The result was in stark contrast to citing commissioner Willem Venter’s decision not to take action against All Blacks Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu for a spear tackle on Lions captain Brian O’Driscoll last year.
A Sanzar statement read: "After careful consideration of all the evidence, including clear video evidence of the incident, and submissions made on behalf of the player, the Committee found the tackle was dangerous and placed the tackled player in a vulnerable position."
