Three weeks for Blues flank

Blues flank Steven Luatua has been suspended for three weeks after pleading guilty to a dangerous tackle in the match against the Chiefs.

Luatua was shown a yellow card and subsequently cited for his tackle on Brodie Retallick which saw the Chiefs lock's upper body come into contact with the ground while his legs were still in the air.

SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Mike Heron commented: "After review of all of the relevant material and following the Duty JO process through a telephone call with the player and his counsel an indication of penalty of three weeks' suspension was given.

"The tackle was found to have been mid range and therefore has an entry point of six weeks. With no aggravating factors, this was reduced by three weeks due to the early guilty plea, no relevant previous issues on the player's record and the remorse shown by the player for committing the offence.

"Other matters taken into account are the lack of injury to the tackled player and the effect the yellow card had on the offending player's team during the match," Heron added.