Eye-gouging King banned

DISCIPLINARY UPDATE: The hapless Southern Kings will head into a crucial three-week period without the services of a key player.

Prop Pieter Scholtz faced a disciplinary hearing on Thursday and has been banned for three weeks.

Scholtz was cited for an incident in his team’s 0-38 loss to Edinburgh last Saturday.

He was charged with having infringed Law 9.12 – A player must not physically abuse anyone. Physical abuse includes but is not limited to, contact with Eye Area.

The disciplinary committee – comprising of Michael Coghlan (Chairman), George Spotswood and Donal Courtney (all Ireland) – concluded that the player had committed an act of foul play, of contact to the eye area.

In upholding the citing, the disciplinary committee deemed that the offence merited a red card with a low-range entry point of four weeks.

The panel did not find any aggravating factors and applied mitigation of one week – in respect of the player’s admission of facts and his presentation at the hearing.

As a result, the player is banned for a period of three weeks and is free to play from midnight on Sunday, February 3.

He will miss the Pro14 encounters with the Cheetahs (January 18), Edinburgh (January 26) and Cheetahs again (February 2).

The player has the right to appeal.