New Zealand prop Angus Ta’avao has been suspended for three weeks following his red card in Saturday’s 23-12 defeat to Ireland.
Ta’avao was dismissed in the 31st minute of the match in Dunedin following head-on-head contact with Irish centre Garry Ringrose.
The 32-year-old had only been on the field for a matter of minutes, having come on as front-row cover for the sin-binned Ofa Tu’ungafasi.
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Applying World Rugby guidelines, an independent judicial committee deemed the act of foul play merited a mid-range entry point of six weeks, which was halved taking into consideration the player’s “excellent disciplinary record”.
Ta’avao admitted he committed an act of foul play but maintained a red card was not warranted due to the presence of mitigating factors.
He has the right to appeal the outcome of the independent disciplinary hearing within 48 hours.
Ireland’s victory at Forsyth Barr Stadium was a first over the three-time world champions on New Zealand soil and levelled the series at 1-1 to set up Saturday’s decider in Wellington.
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