Reuben O’Neill Handed Three-Week Suspension for Foul Play in Super Rugby Pacific Match
Christchurch, New Zealand – March 30, 2024 – In a recent Super Rugby Pacific match between the Chiefs and Rebels, Chiefs tighthead Reuben O’Neill has been found guilty and charged with “physical abuse” by the SANZAAR judiciary, resulting in a three-week suspension.
The incident occurred in the 61st minute when O’Neill caught a Rebels player high with a swinging arm during a clean-out, which was deemed to have met the red card threshold. The prop was charged by the committee under Law 9.12, which states “a player must not physically abuse anyone” for the infringement.
“The judicial committee assessed the actions, being reckless foul play by the player by striking an opponent’s head with his arm,” said committee chair Helen Morgan.
After conducting a detailed review of the evidence, including all camera angles and submissions from the player and his representative, Aaron Lloyd, the Judicial Committee upheld the citing and found O’Neill to have contravened the law.
While an early guilty plea, mitigating factors, and O’Neill’s good disciplinary record halved the suspension from six to three weeks, the Taranaki prop’s absence will be felt by the Chiefs. The team faces the Hurricanes and the Blues, two of the strongest teams in the competition, over the last two weeks of the regular season.
This ruling serves as a reminder of the importance of player safety and the consequences for violating the laws of the game in the rugby union, rugby union gameplay, and rugby union scores.
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