Blues winger Tanielu Tele'a has been suspended for four weeks of Super Rugby and Sharks hooker Akker van der Merwe for three, after governing body SANZAAR announced sanctions handed down by its Foul Play Review Committee.
Tele'a pleaded guilty to a charge of tackling a player off the ground, after he was red-carded during the Auckland-based side's 24-9 win over the Stormers for crashing into airborne counterpart Dillyn Leyds.
The committee found the act warranted a suspension of eight weeks, but cut that in half, due to his guilty plea and the player's good judicial record.
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The undermanned Blues had to hold on over the final 10 minutes for victory and must now find two new wingers for Saturday's encounter against the Waratahs, with All Black Rieko Ioane due for a mandated rest week.
Van der Merwe was involved in a fist fight with rival Bulls' hooker Schalk Brits, for which both players were red-carded in the Pretoria-based side's 19-16 victory on Saturday.
He pleaded guilty to the offence, which saw the usual six-week sanction cut in half.
Brits has also been charged by the Foul Play Review Committee, but no verdict has yet been reached in his case.
Van der Merwe and Brits are likely rivals for one spot in the South Africa squad for the World Cup in Japan later in the year, with Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi ahead of them in the pecking order.
Reuters
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