Tele'a three week suspension for tip tackle
- Dave Worsley
- 18 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Blues wing Mark Tele'a has been suspended for three Super Rugby Pacific matches for a tip tackle against the Reds in Brisbane last Friday.
The Blues will be without Tele'a for three of their last four regular season matches as they try to make something of their season and make the playoffs.
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Tele'a was initially given a yellow card, upgraded to red on review after he picked up Reds winger Tim Ryan in a tip tackle 31 minutes into the game, with Ryan landing on his head.
Super Rugby Pacific's Foul Play Review Committee (FPRC) found Tele'a guilty of a lifting tackle in contravention of Law 9.18.
The committee determined "the low-range entry point of six weeks/matches" was appropriate for the incident.
"In light of the player accepting he committed an act of foul play as well as mitigating factors such as his prior disciplinary record, the FPRC applied the full 50 percent reduction in sanction.
Tele'a will miss matches against the Force this Friday, the Fijian Drua on 9 May and Moana Pasifika May 17.
He will be available to be selected against Waratahs on 31 May, which is the Blues' last match of the regular season. They have to win all four games to make the playoffs.
The 28-year-old 19-test All Black has taken up a Japanese club contract, believed to be a three-year deal with Toyota Verblitz, where former All Blacks coach Ian Foster is in charge.