Jake White proved right as Springbok’s controversial red card rescinded as Bulls win another appeal
Johan Grobbelaar is free to play the Bulls' clash with Benetton in the United Rugby Championship.
“I don’t think that was a red card”, Jake White declared on Friday evening after Johan Grobbelaar was given his marching orders in the United Rugby Championship defeat to Scarlets.
The Springboks hooker was red-carded in the 66th minute of the match with the Bulls going on to lose 23-22 to the Welsh region.
Johan Grobbelaar cleared
After the game, Bulls boss White said that he did not believe that his player deserved to be sent off and revealed that they would be challenging the decision, as he did earlier that week after David Kriel was also sent off.
The Bulls successfully challenged that red card with the utility back avoiding a suspension and was free to feature against the Scarlets but was ultimately not selected.
Now for a second week in a row, the Bulls have had a red card rescinded with a United Rugby Championship statement confirming that Grobbelaar is free to play in the Pretoria-based next fixture against Benetton.
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It's déjà vu for the Vodacom Bulls in Wales 😲🟥
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“The Disciplinary process related to Johan Grobbelaar’s Red Card in the BKT United Rugby Championship Round 5 game against Scarlets on Friday, 18 October has resulted in the red card being rescinded,” read the statement.
“The Player (Johan Grobbelaar, No 16) received a Red Card in the 67th minute of the game under 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 Panel overseeing the disciplinary process Ben Rutherford (Chair, Ireland), Roddy MacLeod (Scotland) and John Carroll (Ireland), found that while an act of foul play had occurred, there was not a high degree of danger and the Player did not enter contact in a dynamic manner or with a high degree of force. The Panel found that the high contact, although it occurred in an instant, was avoidable and that the Player knew or ought to have known the risk of committing foul play when electing to attempt a tackle in his body position with the minimal time to get low and prepare for contact after reacting to a missed tackle by a team mate. Therefore, the Panel found that the tackle did not meet the red card threshold. The card was thus rescinded.
“As a result, the Player is now free to play and available for selection this weekend.”
It’s a boost for Grobbelaar who missed out on selection for the Springboks’ end-of-year tour, with head coach Rassie Erasmus opting to select just two out-and-out hookers in Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx for the November internationals against Scotland, England and Wales.
His Bulls teammate, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, has been selected instead and will provide the Springboks with cover at hooker and prop.