Mid Canterbury fullback Maleli Sau has been suspended from all rugby for three weeks for a dangerous tackle in the Heartland Championship Lochore Cup final against West Coast.
Sau will miss his next three scheduled matches, the first of which is the New Zealand Heartland XV match this Saturday against New Zealand Marist.
Mid Canterbury won the Heartland rugby finale in Methven on Sunday 47-15, despite losing Sau in the third minute when he caught Coast midfielder Logan Heath high.
New Zealand Rugby duty judicial officer Nigel Hampton said while the tackle was not premeditated, Sau still made direct contact with the head of an opposition player.
Hampton said Sau's remorse, a clean judicial record and the loss of playing almost the entire final qualified for a reduction in the suspension to three weeks from a starting point of six weeks.
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