Bok centre Esterhuizen hit with World Rugby ban

Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen has copped a four-match suspension after receiving a red card during last Saturday's Test against Portugal in Bloemfontein.

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The Boks lost Esterhuizen early in the game when he made head contact with Portugal counterpart Jose Lima in a tackle.

Esterhuizen was initially shown a yellow card before it was upgraded to red upon further review.

This saw Esterhuizen miss out on a spot in the 33-man Springbok squad named on Tuesday for the Rugby Championship.

The World Rugby disciplinary committee hearing was chaired by Matthew Weaver (England), who was joined by former player Jamie Corsi (Wales) and former international referee Valeriu Toma (Romania). 

During the hearing, Esterhuizen accepted that foul play had occurred and that the offence warranted a red card.

The committee considered the appropriate entry point for the offence and decided that it warranted the mandatory mid-end entry point for offending involving contact with the head of six matches.

Having considered the mitigating factors, the committee decided not to award a full 50 percent mitigation to the sanction resulting in a four-match ban. But it will be reduced to three matches if Esterhuizen completes a World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme.

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As things stand, Esterhuizen will be unavailable for the Sharks' Currie Cup clashes against the Lions (27 July), Pumas (3 August), Griquas (11 August) and Cheetahs (17 August).

This also means he could return for the Springboks' Rugby Championship clashes against New Zealand on 31 August and 7 September.

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