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Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea has been cited for his throat-slitting gesture in his side’s Super Rugby Pacific win against the Rebels in Melbourne on Friday night.
The star All Blacks No 8 will face the Sanzaar Foul Play Review Committee (FPRC) via video conference on Monday night to learn his fate after the citing commissioner deemed the incident had met the red-card threshold for foul play.
Savea is alleged to have contravened Law 9.27: A player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship.
All Sanzaar disciplinary matters are in the first instance referred to the FPRC to provide the option of expediting the judicial process. For the matter to be dispensed with at that hearing, Savea must plead guilty and accept the penalty offered by the FPRC, otherwise a Sanzaar judicial committee hearing will take place.
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The Hurricanes, who are 2-0 to start the season, will be anxious of the outcome, with a big clash against the Blues looming next Saturday night in Wellington.
Savea had been yellow-carded by referee James Doleman just prior to halftime for escalating a melee, throwing Rebels first-five Carter Gordon to the ground, and on his way to the sin bin then made the throat-slitting gesture towards Rebels halfback Ryan Louwrens.
Kelly Defina/Getty Images
Ardie Savea’s throat-slitting gesture came after James Doleman showed him a yellow card for escalating a melee.
It prompted Rebels captain Reece Hodge to complain to Doleman that “he’s threatening to kill him”.
The 29-year-old then apologised for his actions in a TV interview after the game.
“I can understand the fans are furious around the gesture that I made,” he told Stan 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’ve got to be better. We’re trying to clean up the game. I understand … there’s no excuse for me.”
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes will also have prop Tevita Mafileo fronting the FPRC, after his red card during the match for a dangerous clean-out.
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