AUDIO: Rassie says Wiese's hearing was 'top class'
AUDIO: The Springboks will not appeal the suspension of Jasper Wiese and have accepted that he will miss the next four Test matches.
Wiese’s hearing took place on Tuesday morning following the red card he received for an incident that occurred in the 20th minute of the match against Italy at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium last weekend.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus told reporters at the team hotel on Tuesday afternoon that he was comfortable with the hearing process and felt the suspension Wiese received was ‘fair’.
World Rugby announced that the 29-year-old received a four-match suspension following the disciplinary hearing.
The ban rules him out of the closing Incoming Series match against Georgia in Nelspruit on Saturday, as well as the first three Rugby Championship Tests against Australia in Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively (August 16 & 23), and the first game against New Zealand in Auckland (September 6).
He will be back in contention for selection for the last three Rugby Championship matches in September and October.
“I thought the whole hearing this morning was top class,” Erasmus commented.
“Jasper got his chance to be honest about what he thinks.
“The way the chair lady ran the whole thing was clear – just the way they listened to what Jasper said.
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“I think getting four matches banned is fair,” Erasmus said, adding that the team management was comfortable with how the hearing took place and the subsequent outcome.
“There can be excuses and other opinions, but we were really comfortable.
“There are good protocols in place with everything, from referee communication to laws to input on high-performance structures to the disciplinary committee.
“It’s four games, and we had a really fair trial, and easy to understand.
“So we are not happy for him missing games, but satisfied with how it was handled,” he emphasised.
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