News

Van der Linde gets four weeks

Tuesday 26th August 2008

Guilty: CJ van der Linde will play no further part in this year's Tri-Nations

South African prop CJ van der Linde has been suspended for four weeks after being found guilty of dangerous play at a ruck during South Africa's 15-27 Tri-Nations loss against Australia in Durban on Saturday.

Australian flanker Rocky Elsom was also suspended for one week for unlawfully interfering with Springbok captain Victor Matfield in a line-out.

Both players will miss this weekend's rematch at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

Van der Linde faced a SANZAR Disciplinary Committee hearing after he was cited by citing commissioner Steve Hinds of New Zealand for striking Wallaby scrum-half Sam Cordingley with his head in the eighth minute of the match.

The SANZAR Disciplinary Officer Mr Nick Davidson QC of New Zealand accepted Van der Linde's guilty plea to contravening Law 10.4(i) for dangerous play at a ruck. Van der Linde was cleared of contravening Law 10.4(a) relating to deliberately striking an opponent with the head.

Van der Linde has been suspended from all rugby until Monday, September 22.

In his findings, Davidson said that the offence was cited as a deliberate striking with the head to the head. After hearing evidence and reviewing video coverage he decided that the offence was on the cusp of a striking but, applying the standard of proof, was assessable as dangerous play in a ruck under law 10.4(i). Davidson found that this was an attempt to clear out with no legitimacy, Van der Linde driving forward unbound, off his feet, with his head as a leading edge.

Van der Linde denied targeting the head but acknowledged it was an illegal attempt to clear out, carrying a risk to Cordingley, who was fortunately not injured.

As a deliberate strike this would have warranted a top-end entry. Without injury and in the context of an illegal attempt to clear out a mid-range entry of four weeks applied.

Van der Linde has an excellent disciplinary record on which to draw in mitigation. However, the International Rugby Board has recently expressed its concern about the danger of unlawful and dangerous clearing out on the fringes of tackles, rucks and mauls and the need for deterrence is clear and is a counter-weight to any mitigation, said Davidson.

Meanwhile, Elsom faced a SANZAR Disciplinary Committee hearing after he was cited for tackling Matfield in the air in the second half of the match.

Davidson said that the Judicial Officer is entitled to review the reasons for a decision taken by match officials when they observe and address an incident on the field of play.

Davidson emphasised the referee's position as sole judge of fact and law during the match. However, a Judicial Officer may later review the reasons for the decision but shall not make a finding contrary to the referee's decision unless satisfied that his reasons are wrong.

In this case assistant referee Mr Bryce Lawrence had a clear view of the incident and while recognising the admitted illegal interference with Matfield by Elsom, he quite distinctly assessed it as carrying insufficient risk to merit more than a penalty, as he reported to referee Lyndon Bray. Lawrence's evidence was cogent in this regard.

A review of extensive video coverage showed Elsom in fact using two hands to pull down Matfield, rotating him sideways and off-balance. He landed on his feet and fell awkwardly across Elsom. The incident was contributed to when Elsom lost the support of his lifter, but any interference of this kind carries real danger and a sanction is required, said Davidson.

Elsom has been suspended from all rugby until Monday, September 1.

Matfield gave telephonic evidence that he suffered an injury in the incident but completed the game without impediment. Any injury appeared minor and did not influence the decision.

In an extended first-class career, Elsom has a previous breach for a quite different offence. In all of the circumstances and because of the inherent danger in this type of breach, a sanction of one week was applied.