Speight appeal set for Tuesday
Brumbies' wing Henry Speight has been handed a lifeline after a SANZAR appeals committee ruled that they will hear his appeal on his five-week ban on Tuesday.
The decision means Speight will still miss his team's semifinal against the Hurricanes on Saturday, but will have an outside chance of playing in the final if his team makes it that far and if his appeal is successful.
The Wallaby was found guilty of contravening Law 10.4 (j) Lifting a player from the ground and dropping or driving that player into the ground whilst that player’s feet are still off the ground such that the player’s head and/or upper body come into contact with the ground is dangerous play.
The incident happened in the 74th minute of the Brumbies qualifier against the Stormers, with video evidence showing Speight's tackle on centre Juan de Jongh.
The Brumbies appeal on the suspension is based on two grounds – the severity of the punishment and the incident's classification as a lifting tackle.
The appeals committee will be chaired by Nigel Hampton with Lex Mpati and Terry Willis.
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