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Wallabies lock Darcy Swain cops ban following red card against England
By AAP
Wallabies lock Darcy Swain has been suspended for two weeks and will miss the final two matches of the England Test series after his red card for foul play was upheld by a Rugby World judicial committee.
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The Australians were forced to play a man down for more than half of last Saturday’s first Test against England at Perth Optus Stadium after Swain was sent off in the 34th minute for headbutting opposite Jonny Hill in retaliation. Australia scored three second-half tries to lead 30-14 and won the match 30-28.
“Having acknowledged mitigating factors, including the player’s acknowledgement of foul play, clean disciplinary record, conduct at the hearing and expression of remorse, the committee granted the player full mitigation of 50 per cent of three weeks,” the committee said in a statement Tuesday.
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“The committee further determined that given the above off-field mitigating factors and that a three-week sanction would be wholly disproportionate given the level and nature of the offence, the sanction was further reduced by an extra week.”
Swain has the right to appeal.
The final two matches in the series are this Saturday in Brisbane and on July 16 in Sydney.
Did Hill think he was representing England @ Netball. The hair pulling in most Countries is left for the "Girls" He should have received Red Card. Swain should have "slapped his face"
A correct decision, but Hill the provoker in this incident gets off scot-free. Why was he not cited?
It has to have been deemed to have warranted a red card on the field at the time. Neither hands in the face nor hair pulling at a different time quite cuts it. They're both yellow card offences and the whole two yellows equals a red system doesn't apply to off field decisions. I'd accept it if they tweaked the rules so it did, but that could create open season on citings for cumulative smaller stuff with implications we wouldn't love when our favourite players started getting banned for more marginal stuff.