Jannie Du Plessis of the Sharks was given an off-field yellow card for striking against the Hurricanes, and two others have also received the same punishment, following an altercation in the Reds vs Brumbies Super Rugby game in Brisbane on Saturday.
In the case of the Hurricanes vs Sharks fight, it was two players that sparked it and the rest joined in, breaking off into about three seperate little skirmishes spread across half the field.
This one at Suncorp Stadium featured just two players, front rowers Ben Daley and Dan Palmer, as they squared off during the Reds’ 20-13 win over the Brumbies. The one-on-one scrap was later reviewed by the SANZAR citing commisioners.
Off-field yellow cards have been issued to each player, an occurence that takes place when an incident is deemed to be close to – but not quite – red card territory.
They were punished for contravening Law 10.4(a): Punching or Striking an Opponent.
Referee Steve Walsh penalised Palmer, who could be seen throwing the first punch to the midriff of Daley, who then retaliated with a few wild blows. Eventually it took scrumhalf Nick White’s intervention to sort things out.
“It was a bit of a sideshow. The crowd seemed to enjoy it. I think it’s safe to say neither of them have a career as a boxer,” said Reds captain James Horwill.
View a quick highlights summary of the match
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