Sydney - The New South Wales Waratahs' Super Rugby title defence suffered a double blow when hooker Silatolu Latu was suspended for four weeks and lock Will Skelton for a fortnight.
The pair were guilty of combing for a tip tackle on Canterbury Crusaders lock Sam Whitelock in the 17th minute of their 32-22 win in Sydney on Saturday that took them to the top of the Australian Conference ahead of the ACT Brumbies.
Latu was shown a yellow card for the offence by the referee after video replays on the field. Whitelock escaped unhurt.
“Latu played a more active role in the lifting and twisting of their opponent, Sam Whitelock, contributing more significantly to the end result than Skelton,” citing officer Robert Stelzner said in a statement.
“Skelton nevertheless also lifted and twisted Whitelock in the tackle, which is why he too was found to have breached the applicable Law.”
Skelton will miss the two-match tour of South Africa to play the Lions and Cheetahs along with Latu, who will also be absent from the final home clash against the Queensland Reds and the first of the playoff matches, if the holders make it. – Reuters