Fijian Drua scrumhalf Frank Lomani was banned for the rest of the season on Wednesday after being sent off in a Super Rugby match against the Rebels.
Lomani, 27, received a red card for deliberately elbowing lock Josh Canham in the back of the head during the 41-20 defeat at the Melbourne Reds last Friday.
Lomani was handed a six-week suspension, and is banned until May 26, meaning he will miss Drua’s six remaining regular season games.
“The entry point for the offence was 10 weeks (assessed as Top-End range for intentional and deliberate physical abuse of striking with an elbow to the back of the victim player’s head and causing injury, where the victim player was in an incredibly vulnerable position with limited ability, if any, to defend himself),” Foul Play Review Committee chairman Stephen Hardy ruled.
“The player was given a discount for entering an early guilty plea (and other relevant mitigating factors), reducing the suspension from 10 weeks to six weeks.
“In providing the player the sanction, the Foul Play Review Committee emphasised that this sort of incident is not tolerated in any form of the game.”
Drua alleged that Lomani was racially abused by “one or two individuals” in the crowd as he left the field and the club were “shocked” by the incident.
“Clearly there is no place for racism of any kind anywhere,” Drua said.
Melbourne Rebels apologised, Drua said, adding that Lomani was receiving support for the alleged abuse and Super Rugby were investigating.
Drua’s Jone Koroiduadua was also red-carded in the match, for a 74th-minute head-butt, and he was banned for two weeks.
The disciplinary committee ruled that Koroiduadua had “made limited contact with the head of the victim player” and took his otherwise unblemished record into account.
Fijian Drua next face Wellington Hurricanes, the only team still unbeaten this season, at home on Friday.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
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