Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea faces a potential suspension after he was cited for his throat-slitting gesture to Melbourne Rebels scrum-half Ryan Louwrens during the Super Rugby Pacific fixture on Friday.
Savea will face a SANZAAR Foul Play Review Committee on Monday after being cited for alleging contravening Law 9.27.
The spirit of good sportsmanship
The All Blacks loose forward made the gesture and appeared to threaten the Rebel after he was yellow-carded in the closing stages of the first half. This occurred after a heated exchange erupted during the Hurricanes’ 39-33 victory.
🌪️ This isn't great from Ardie Savea. #SuperRugbyPacific #REBvHUR pic.twitter.com/VqSCWElJeK
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 3, 2023
SANZAAR, the governing body of Super Rugby Pacific, confirmed Savea’s citing with the following statement: “Ardie Savea of the Hurricanes has been cited for alleged foul play during a Super Rugby Pacific match at the weekend.
“Savea is alleged to have contravened Law 9.27: A player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship during the match between the Rebels and Hurricanes at AAMI Park in Melbourne on 3 March 2023.
“Upon further review of the match footage, the Citing Commissioner deemed in his opinion the incident had met the Red Card threshold for foul play.
“The Case is to be considered in the first instance by the SANZAAR Foul Play Review Committee, which will take place on Monday 6 March 2023, 6pm(AEDT), 8pm(NZDT) via video-conference.”
Savea could face a ban from two weeks, depending on the entry point that the committee decides.
The low-end entry point is four weeks, but Savea could have any sanction cut in half. If it is deemed a mid-range entry point, he could spend a month or two on the sidelines with an eight-week entry point.
Savea apologises
During his post-match interview, Savea apologised for his action and admitted that it was out of character.
🌪️ An apologetic Ardie Savea after Hurricanes beat Rebels. #REBvHUR pic.twitter.com/jyQzAcvlzx
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 3, 2023
“I can understand the fans are furious around the gesture that I made,” he told Sky Sport.
“It’s just a heat of the moment kinda thing. It’s footy. Kids are watching us; we’re in the heat of the moment. Usually, that’s out of character for me, so I put my hand up first, and I apologise for that.
“I’m just glad to get the win. The Rebels brought it tonight. Credit to them. They were physical with their forward pack, so something for us to look in the mirror [at].”
Meanwhile, fellow Hurricane Tevita Mafileo will also face the SANZAAR Foul Play Review Committee. He was red-carded foul play and is alleged to have contravened Law 9.20: Dangerous play in a ruck or maul.
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