Lienert-Brown banned for headbutt

DISCIPLINARY UPDATE: Highlanders and Canterbury prop Daniel Lienert-Brown received five-week suspensions for headbutting an opposition.

The prop was red carded in the second half during the NPC match between Canterbury and Taranaki in Christchurch on Saturday, October 6.

Lienert-Brown is considered to be foul play under Law 9.12.

The Duty Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton considered submissions from the player who claimed he misjudged the distance between himself and the opposition player but admitted his wrong-doing and had earlier voluntarily offered an apology to the other player.

The entry point sanction for what was found to be mid-range offending is ten weeks, but Lienert-Brown’s clean record, immediate admission and apology earned him a 50% reduction in sanction.

Lienert-Brown will miss five matches, including the scheduled Canterbury matches against Counties Manukau on Saturday and the NPC-play off matches. The two further matches he will miss are yet to be determined.

Taranaki’s Jarrad Hoeata also received five-week suspensions during the same match.

Hoeata was sent from the field by referee James Doleman in the sixth minute of the match after retaliating to being pushed, by punching an opposition player in the head, contrary to Law 9.12.

Hampton QC found that Hoeata’s action was deliberate and was deemed a mid-range offence with an entry point of six weeks. An additional week was added because of Hoeata’s previous judicial record, but a reduction of two weeks allowed as a result of Hoeata’s immediate admission of wrong-doing and apology which resulted in the final suspension for five matches.

Hoeata will miss Taranaki’s last round-robin fixture against Wellington on Friday and four further matches yet to be confirmed.