Intervention by the match officials has saved Argentinean fullback Juan Cruz Mallia from missing the Rugby World Cup after he was handed a two-week ban for the late charge-down that knocked out Springbok scrumhalf Grant Williams.
A Sanzaar judicial committee decided that a mid-level suspension would be “wholely inappropriate” for Cruz Mallia after testimony by referee Andrew Brace and his match officials.
Brace has been widely criticised as he missed the hit and let play carry on with a player unconscious on the ground and incensed Bok fans by saying it was a rugby incident and deserved no sanction. A citing commissioner later upgraded the incident to be worthy of a red card and thus Cruz Mallia had to appear in front of a judicial committee.
The two-week ban means he will be able to play in the Rugby World Cup as officials continue to skirt around unpopular decisions that may see players miss the tournament. Ireland captain Johnny Sexton received a three-match ban - effectively ruling him out of the warm-up matches for the World Cup - after abusing the referee in a sentence that most would have said was lenient.
“The Sanzaar Judicial Committee has found Juan Cruz Mallia of Argentina guilty of contravening Law 9.11: Players must not do anything that is reckless or dangerous to others, after he was cited following The Rugby Championship Match at the weekend,” the judiciary press release stated.
“Mallia has been suspended from all forms of the game for 2 weeks up to and including 18 August 2023. The incident occurred in the first minute of the match between South Africa and Argentina played at Emirates Airlines Park in Johannesburg on 29 July 2023.
The Sanzaar Judicial Committee of Nigel Hampton KC (Chairman), David Croft and Ofisa Tonu’u assessed the case. In his finding, Judicial Committee Chairman Nigel Hampton KC ruled the following: "Having conducted a detailed review of all the available evidence, including all camera angles and additional evidence, including from the player, the Argentinian coach and the match referee, as well as submissions from his legal representative, Aaron Lloyd, the Foul Play Review Committee upheld the citing under Law 9.11."
While the committee agreed the action was “reckless”, it bowed to intervention from the referee on how match officials saw the incident.
"With respect to sanction the Judicial Committee considered the act of foul play was reckless, with a high degree of danger and had a considerable impact on the victim player. The Committee considered all relevant factors of World Rugby’s Head Contact Process and sanctioning table, but given the evidence from both the referee and the coach as to how successful charge downs of kicks are viewed by match officials and as to how coaching of players is conducted as a consequence, the Committee decided that a mid-range sanction would be wholly disproportionate to the player’s fault and that the foul play merited a low-range entry point of 2 weeks."
"The player is therefore suspended for two weeks, up to and including 18 August 2023.”