The Red Card disciplinary process for Bismarck du Plessis of Vodacom Bulls was heard by a Judicial Officer after he was sent off in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship Round 6 game against Munster Rugby on Saturday, March 12.
The incident occurred in the 70th minute of the fixture at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria.
The Player received a Red Card under Law 9.18 – A player must not lift an opponent off the ground and drop or drive that player so that their head and/or upper body make contact with the ground.
The Judicial Officer overseeing the disciplinary process, Robert Mulligan (Scotland) determined that the Du Plessis’ actions met the threshold of a red card and that the act of foul play warranted a sanction. However, considering the Player accepted that the act of foul play warranted a Red Card, previous record (one red card in his 374 previous professional games) and behaviour during the process entitled him to full (50 per cent) mitigation.
Vodacom Bulls are scheduled to play five matches between March 12 – 26. As a result, Du Plessis has been banned for a period of three games.
Fixtures Bismarck du Plessis is unavailable for:
Carling Currie Cup: Vodacom Bulls vs Sharks (March 16) SERVED
URC: Vodacom Bulls vs Scarlets (March 19) SERVED
Carling Currie Cup: Vodacom Bulls vs Lions (March 23)
