Steyn banned for high shot on Am

NEWS: Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn will miss his team’s next three games.

The 37-year-old received a ban for his dangerous tackle on Sharks captain Lukhanyo Am in a Round 12 United Rugby Championship fixture in Pretoria on Saturday, February 12.

The Sharks won the match 29-22.

This ban will include two games in the United Rugby Championship and one game in the Currie Cup.

Morné Steyn got a straight red for this KAPOW on Lukhanyo Am, at the weekend 💥

Both lads stood together as the replays of the incident rolled. No hard feelings from Am, but it was a cruncher

📽️ @PremierSportsTV pic.twitter.com/unMitsthlw

— Pat McCarry (@patmccarry) February 16, 2022

“A Disciplinary Committee met on Thursday, 17 February 2022 to consider the Red Card shown to Morné Steyn (No.10) of the Bulls in their match against the Sharks on Saturday, 12 February 2022,” said a URC statement.

“The incident occurred in the 11th minute of the United Rugby Championship Round 12 fixture at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

“The Player received a red card for a contravention of Law 9.13 – A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.

“The Disciplinary Panel of Jennifer Donovan [Chair, Ireland], Rose Alice Murphy [Ireland] and Tony Wheat [Ireland] considered all the evidence available and concluded that the referee’s decision to issue the red card was correct and so upheld the red card.

“The panel carefully considered the evidence and found that there was a high degree of danger, that the action was at speed with contact made to the neck and jaw area, with insufficient mitigation to reduce the level of sanction.

“The Panel determined that the entry point be mid-range which carried a suspension of six (6) weeks. The Player did accept that he had committed an act of foul play but did not accept that it warranted a red card.

“The Panel considered the Player’s previous good record and admittance to a late and high tackle, and determined that it would reduce the sanction by three (3) weeks.

“As a result, the Player has been banned for a period of three (3) weeks. The Player can return to play from Sunday, 13 March 2022.”

Fixtures Morné Steyn is unavailable for:

URC: Zebre Parma v Bulls (Friday, February 25, 2022)

Currie Cup: Griquas vs Blue Bulls (Saturday, March 5, 2022)

URC: Bulls v Munster (Saturday, March 12, 2022)