Otago Highlanders prop Kane Hames suspended for five weeks for striking
Monday 23 February 2015 10:36, UK
Otago Highlanders prop Kane Hames has been suspended for five weeks for striking Canterbury Crusaders lock Dominic Bird during his team's Super Rugby defeat in Dunedin.
Hames pleaded guilty to hitting Bird in the 74th minute of the 26-20 loss on Saturday.
"After taking relevant facts... into consideration, I found the incident to have a mid-range entry point which stipulates a five-week suspension," SANZAR judicial officer Robert Stelzner said in a statement.
Hames' ban runs until March 28 and the Highlanders have a bye the next week, meaning the first fixture he will be eligible to play is the return match against the Crusaders in Christchurch on April 11.
Meanwhile, Auckland Blues lock Hayden Triggs has been given a one-week ban after being red-carded at the weekend for punching Western Stormers skipper Duane Vermuelen.
The suspension rules the New Zealander out of the Blues' second and final South African tour match against Central Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Friday.
Triggs was spotted by an assistant referee striking Vermuelen twice in an off-the-ball incident after 25 minutes of a second-round match the Stormers won 27-16 in Cape Town.
