Reds lock not guilty of gouging
A SANZAR Judicial Hearing has found Reds lock Ed O'Donoghue not guilty of foul play after he was issued a red card in the final stages of their defeat to the Rebels.
No further sanction has been imposed on the player and the red card has been removed from his record.
The referee for the match, Steve Walsh, on advice from the television match official, issued a red card for the incident which saw O'Donoghue make contact with Scott Higginbotham's face in the 79th minute.
The SANZAR Judicial Hearing held via video conference on Monday and was heard by Jannie Lubbe who was assisted by former professional player, Paul Thomson.
"After careful consideration of all of the evidence, which included written and verbal submissions from the player, the player's representative, Scott Higginbotham and match officials, I have found O'Donoghue not guilty.
"My finding is supported by these witness statements, in conjunction with medical evidence supplied by the Rebels which indicated no damage had been inflicted upon Higginbotham and furthermore, the player stated that he made no complaint to the referee.
"The act of eye gouging generally triggers a reaction from the victim which was not evident in this case and helped support my finding.
"Eye gouging is certainly a very serious and unacceptable offence in the game of rugby and any allegation warrants a thorough investigation.
"In this instance, having thoroughly reviewed video evidence from numerous angles and the considering witness testimony, I am satisfied that O'Donoghue has not committed the act in question," Lubbe ruled.
No further sanction has been imposed on the player and the red card has been removed from his record.
